Deus ex Machina
by sheik link
Summary: OoT - In the year following Ganondorf's defeat, a tentative peace has settled over Hyrule. Now the Goddesses are demanding one more thing from the Hero of Time, but at what cost? Shounen ai, LS. Slight AU. Chapter 6 up.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Deus ex Machina  
Author: Court ( burningvigor@aol.com ) as Link, Rydia ( chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com ) as Sheik and about everyone else  
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is not ours. The characters are not ours. The setting is not ours. We borrowed it to have some fun. We interpreted it in our own way. We make no money off of this so you can't sue us. Neither of us have any money anyway.  
Summary: In the year following Ganondorf's defeat, a tentative peace has settled over Hyrule. Now the Goddesses are demanding one more thing from the Hero of Time, but at what cost?  
Warning: AU (Sheik and Zelda are different people, and Navi was killed at the end of OoT since no one likes her anyway). Shounen ai/yaoi (YES that means there are GAY PEOPLE OMG NUU :P), Link/Sheik.  
  
**Important Note:** This entire fanfic has been written in role-play format. That means that there are sections. Court writes one, then Rydia writes one, and so on and so forth. Things are REPEATED. Why? Because when we started, we didn't intend for this to be a fanfic. Now that we're finishing it, we love it to pieces and want to share it with the world. So. All the Link sections were written by Court, and all the Sheik sections were written by Rydia. And Rydia made the chapter titles because she's weird.  
  
--  
  
**Chapter 1**  
_In which Sheik finds Link and Link finds the bottom of Lake Hylia_   
  
--  
  
_Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry  
You don't know how lovely you are  
I had to find you, tell you I need you  
Tell you I set you apart_  
  
Coldplay "The Scientist"  
  
--  
  
Don't let Link fool you, folks. As cool as he might seem in the game, there's a side of him that isn't shown on the Nintendo 64. The real Link, if you will. The part that you don't see because... well, because it might be considered incriminating. What do I mean, exactly? Well, when someone is allowed to go from ten straight to seventeen with no time for transition, well... odd things happen.   
  
"Epona, calm /down/," he ordered, yelling up at the horse from the ground, having fallen on his backside yet again. He winced as he felt the soreness beginning to set in a bit more and rubbed at his lower back in a hope of relieving the pain. "Stupid horse," he grumbled, once again picking himself back up and brushing himself off with gauntlet'd hands. "Come on, girl, we have to work on jumps..." The boy desperately tried to get the horse to calm down, but it didn't seem to be working too well. She was rather feisty today.   
  
He glanced over at the fences built as a sort of barricade into Lake Hylia, and he sadly remembered how the horse had refused to jump them earlier that morning. So, he had spent the entire day working both with Epona and on some of his own moves that were used in combat.   
  
Like that spin attack thing. He could pull it off, but most of the time he fell over from the dizzy attack that accompanied it. He just wasn't used to the taller, leaner, stronger, more muscled body, even now. When Epona wouldn't listen, no matter what he did, he just sighed, gave it up, and went to go sit down on the grass, a nice big rock to lean against, and attempt to tend to his aching bones. Not much he could do but rest, however...   
  
--   
  
Sheik wasn't far away... he never seemed to be far away anymore. Always in the shadows, never actually showing himself... he wasn't completely sure why. He felt almost a brotherly need to watch over the Hylian whom he had mentored for so much of the past few months. Now without his fairy guide, Link just seemed more vulnerable.   
  
He snorted quietly to himself. As though the hero of time, of Hyrule, the one destined to be the hero since his birth needed help from a rogue Sheikah. He was already in trouble with the Sacred Order for allowing the princess to be kidnapped right in front of him. The Sheikahs lived and died for the royal family. Zelda being snatched while he looked on was like abandoning the Order altogether.   
  
That was why he had not been there to fight alongside of the young hero against Ganondorf. That was why he had been so far away while Link fought for all of Hyrule. That was why he was here now, he supposed, rather than unseen at Zelda's side, helping to rebuild the decimated city and castle. Disowned was too strong a word.. it was more like.. alienated. Eventually, they would take him back, forgive his retributions, and allow him to join them again.   
  
He sighed, watching the other man try to calm the horse. When she didn't listen, he simply gave up, allowing her to wander freely while he sat down next to a rock. He supposed he should show himself sooner or later.. Link looked like he could use some company.   
  
"So this is what the hero of time does in his free time...?"   
  
--   
  
Typical that the second he sits down Epona stops bucking and starts behaving, just trotting around all innocently and nibbling at the grass. "K'hh... you're rather two-faced, you know that?" Link asked the horse, who just gave him an indignant look and continued munching. Well, whatever. He had had enough of training, anyways, and felt more like just relaxing for the rest of the day. Leaning back farther against the rocks, he looked upwards and examined the cloudless blue sky that was there to greet him.   
  
"Seems a lot clearer now that Ganon is gone," he mumbled to himself, having gotten into that habit having Navi around. The fairy was usually there to bother him and give him some random piece of advice whenever things got too quiet so now he had to find solace in himself and his horse. Sort of pitiful, but Link had soon gotten used to being alone.   
  
Sometimes it almost seemed like the Hero of Time was destined for such. So many had wanted to marry him, or be with him, or supposedly loved him... and, well, he never really felt anything in return. As if he just didn't harbor any feelings that mimicked love whatsoever. As if... as if he was incapable of it. And they all ended up as a Sage or too busy with other things to pay attention to the Hero of Time after Ganon was sealed.   
  
However, Link didn't usually let things get him down. And he didn't have any time to, a familiar voice jarring him from any worrying thoughts that might be forming. He blinked in shock, and quickly jerked his head around to see Sheik was there. "Sh.. eik...?" he squeaked, suddenly flustered as he got to his feet as quickly as possible. He felt as if he needed to be polite and well-mannered when around the Sheikah... the mysterious air that he had almost demanded it.   
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked innocently.   
  
--   
  
The Sheikah simply shrugged, the motion betraying none of his thoughts or intentions, thoughts and intentions he wasn't truly sure of himself. He took a few steps closer, but still kept a good distance between the two. He wasn't sure why he still felt he needed to maintain the distance; it was almost as though Link himself was somehow unapproachable for the young Sheikah.   
  
The thought in itself was a rather odd one. Link was friendly, good natured, and he almost seemed to draw people to him. Then again, maybe that was it. Sheik had grown up amongst those of the Order, and the Order was quite less than friendly. It was supposed to be protection, or something.. something he never quite understood but never questioned.   
  
He wondered vaguely to himself exactly what he was hiding from, keeping several steps away and still shielding his face with his traditional scarf. He felt almost a little threatened by Link's open and kind ways, as though he wasn't sincere with them. Which of course didn't make sense either.   
  
Brushing the thoughts away, he realized he never had answered the Hylian's question. "A friendly visit, I suppose. Thought I'd stop by and see how you were faring. You.. eh.. weren't home."   
  
--   
  
Link, on the other hand, was almost intimidated by how distant Sheik was. Most people flocked to him and clung to him and wouldn't let go (okay, maybe not that bad), but Sheik would hardly get near him. It was... odd. He didn't know why -- if it was something he did, something Sheik didn't like about him, maybe. Sheik was just riddled with mysteries. Link, after all, hardly knew what the Sheikahs were, what exactly they did.   
  
But he did know that Sheik had given him so much help during his journey collecting the Six Medallions and he had never been able to properly thank him for it. He'd do it when he got the proper moment. As for finding out more about the Sheikah, Link was almost too scared to ask.   
  
And so they both feared each other. How... quaint. A bit surprised as he neared closer, he suddenly remembered. Zelda. Sheik. They were the same person. He kept forgetting because... well, because they were so different it was hard to believe. Did that mean that he was supposed to refer to him as he would Zelda, then? Geez, this was getting confusing...   
  
He smiled and gave a soft laugh at Sheik's explanation. Hmm, it wasn't like him, though. Sheik would just approach whenever he needed to aid Link, and then would disappear before Link could even get a word in. So why this sudden approaching? Well, he wasn't complaining. He needed the company, after all. "Yeah," he said, rubbing at the back of his green hat, "I don't really go there anymore..." It was... odd having to deal with the people he remembered from his childhood and not have them recognize him.   
  
--   
  
"I...can imagine," Sheik said, wondering if he really had any idea what it was like for the other. He knew it wasn't possible for him to understand everything that Link had been through and he accepted that.   
  
He turned away slightly, not used to making eye contact with others. But the silence that followed when he did so was decidedly awkward, even for him, and he found himself turning back to glance at the other, this time noting the rigidity of Link's posture. He allowed himself a tight smile, even though he knew Link couldn't see. It seemed that they were both rather bad at dealing with each other on a friendship sort of scale.   
  
He raised one blond eyebrow. "You don't have to be so jumpy. The war is over, I doubt any of Ganon's fiends are going to jump you here." There was amusement laced in his tone.   
  
The idea that Link still thought of himself and Zelda as the same person had never actually occurred to him. Link's confusion was painfully apparent though, for the boy had missed a lot of growing up time, and thusly skipped right over Hiding Your Emotions 101. Sheik found he really didn't know exactly what Link was being confused about. Probably his sudden appearance without any warning, and without any discernable purpose.   
  
Though the truth was that he couldn't really explain why he was there either..   
  
--   
  
"Eh, sorry," Link murmured quickly. He hadn't intended to make Sheik feel uncomfortable or anything, but was just trying to explain why he hadn't been there. Gosh, he seemed to screw things up a lot... A mental sigh. At least he had figured out that it was not advisable to sigh out-loud very often.   
  
Feeling antsy when Sheik suddenly turned away, he just looked down at his gloved fingers and tried to pass the silence by occupying his mind with something, anything, but he couldn't bring anything forth. Great, just when he needed thoughts most they decided to go for a walk in the park. This just wasn't turning out very pretty.   
  
Phew... relieved when Sheik spoke again, he gave a crooked smile in return. "I know, I really should stop... but, I guess after having had to worry about them for so long, it's just... hard to forget." That, and he had nothing else to do, really. What now? His whole purpose had been to seal away Ganon, and now that was over and done with. So what was a Hero to do with himself? Spend his time training for no real reason, it seemed.   
  
Then again, now that Sheik was here, maybe he could do something just a little more interesting. And then he realized what was bothering him. A sharp growl from his stomach had him wincing. He was hungry. /Now/ does he realize he hadn't eaten a thing the entire day. "Uhh... Sheik?" he questioned meekly. "You know any good places to get some food?" Yes, random, yes, not having to do with anything, yes, possibly offensive and/or amusing to the Sheikah, but that was Link for you.   
  
--   
  
Sheik's first reaction was confusion at Link's apology, but he brushed it off without much further thought. He knew the other well enough to know that he wasn't very certain about his actions. If he thought he did something wrong, it was probably best to dismiss it as though it didn't matter.. because it certainly didn't if Sheik didn't even know why he was being apologized to.   
  
He nodded appropriately to Link's further statements, knowing that the other's jumpiness was likely caused by his own presence rather than the existence (or lack thereof) of monsters. Most Hylians were rather oblivious to the Sheikahs' existence, and those who knew of them were usually rather nervous in their presence. Link's behavior was mirrored in most of the Hylians Sheik had ever met.   
  
The Sheikah heard Link's stomach complain rather loudly and felt another smile cross his face as Link asked the question.   
  
"There's an entire lake full of fish through the valley, you know," he reminded the other.   
  
He wondered if the relation between them was so impersonal because of him. Most of the time it was.. he wasn't used to being very personal. But Link was. That's how he was raised. The Sheikahs, on the other hand, lived and died for the sake of the royal family. There was no need to be personal, so they weren't.   
  
And yet, he wasn't quite certain what to do about it. He knew he wouldn't be comfortable in the slightest opening up to Link; even revealing his face was like breaking some sort of odd taboo from the ancient order. He wasn't even completely sure why he had to keep his face covered... he just knew that revealing even this would be going back on so much of what he was taught.   
  
And so this would have to do for now.   
  
--   
  
It was better that they didn't continue to talk about the Kokiri. After all, it was sort of a sensitive subject, and he didn't really feel like talking about it much. He liked to avoid anything that made him feel uncomfortable and brought forth broody thoughts, mainly because he had no idea how to deal with them. So it was highly appreciated that Sheik didn't press on the matter.   
  
Link still thought this was just a little out of the ordinary. Sheik would hardly speak to him before, and all of a sudden he was taking the initiative in a conversation. An actual one... not just the words of wisdom and the teaching of a tune. Now that he actually had the chance to say something, he had no idea where to start, what to say... and there was also the fact that he believed he was also Zelda. He was even more uncomfortable around her than he was Sheik, considering she was the princess, and possibly because of her personality. She just dumped things on him and didn't really give an explanation. Not really his favorite person to be around. Sheik, on the other hand, he didn't mind spending time with.   
  
So the fact that they were the same person just hurt his brain. He'd just... he'd act like he had forgotten or something, and just go treating him as he treated Sheik. If 'Zelda' called him on it, he'd claim he had forgotten. Yeah, yeah, that would work. Thus goes the improvising of a confused teenager-also-ten-year-old.   
  
The mention of fish made his stomach yell in agreement, so he gave Sheik a sheepish grin and nodded. "All right, let's go fishing, then!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet enthusiastically and dusting himself off quickly. He let out a sharp whistle and Epona trotted over (he had at least managed to teach the horse to do that), and then grabbed it by her reins and started leading her along, hoping Sheik would follow. It would be the perfect time for him to leave, after all...   
  
Then did he realize he didn't have a fishing rod. Hmm... more improvisation might be needed.   
  
--   
  
The boy's enthusiasm was a bit contagious, and Sheik found himself smiling a bit at the outburst. Yet, still there, pressing at the back of his mind was one of the reasons he had come out here.. it in itself was a lousy reason to seek out the other man, but he'd use it regardless. Because there was really no other logical explanation.   
  
He felt guilty.   
  
Guilty that the princess had gotten kidnapped, guilty that Link had had to face Ganondorf alone, guilty that he had not been able to help more. It had been his duty, given to him by the Lady Zelda herself, to help the Hero of Time on his quest. He had failed on so many counts.   
  
What was this, then? Retribution? As if.   
  
Link didn't need his help now. Link needed his help a few months ago, up in that tower with the fiend who had nearly killed him. While he was being questioned and punished by the Sheikahs for "allowing" the princess to be captured.   
  
Stifling a sigh into the scarf hiding his face, he began to follow the green clad Hylian.   
  
--   
  
It didn't take them very long to make their way through the valley, mostly because there weren't monsters popping out and throwing themselves at the Hero anymore. He appreciated this quite a bit, however. It was not fun having to stop every two seconds in order to properly slash some fiend in two, and it made it a lot easier to get places.   
  
And so quickly did they reach the lake, the bright sun that was quickly unclouded when Ganon was sealed now shining strongly down upon the clear waters, so much that the piercing reflection almost hurt the boy's eyes. Still, the fish were rather visible, swimming their merry ways through the water, and his innards gave another jump at the sight of them.   
  
Now, to solve the problem of their lack of a fishing rod. He could... try and just wade into the water and catch them with his hands, maybe. Or maybe they liked ocarina music, like the fr--no, what was he thinking? /Okay, think, Link, /think.// He stood there starkly for a moment as he tried to bring forward some brilliant plan.   
  
...maybe he could make a fishing rod? Just get a branch and some string somehow. No, he was thinking that just using his hands was his best bet. And so he dropped down into a sitting position and started to take off his boots and then roll up his tights somewhat.   
  
--   
  
Sheik watched silently as Link stood at the edge of the waters, looking thoughtfully over the clear blue depths. The sun was shining brilliantly down on them, the lake glowing with the affect. It was all very beautiful, and something that he, a Sheikah, the people of the Shadows, did not get to experience much.   
  
Perhaps it was that feeling that being around Link gave him that made him follow that day. The Sheikahs were close, very tight-knit, always in a group. His face was covered, so that he looked like the others. His name had even been derived from the name of his people. But when Link was around, he didn't feel like he was part of a larger group anymore. He felt like.. an individual.   
  
A strange feeling for him, really. He'd never had any sense of individuality. Referring to oneself was almost always pluralized, using not "I", but "we" and "us" instead of "me". Anodd sensation for him to use these words and feel like he was really a separate person from the Order.   
  
He thought he rather liked it.   
  
And so he silently watched Link enter the water, hoping to catch one of the fish and wondering how he could be of any help. Well, they would need a fire to cook the fish on.   
  
"I'll gather firewood," he explained briefly before wandering off to do just that.   
  
--   
  
Tights now rolled up to his knees, the young man walked far into the water and then realized that the fish were swimming farther out than he had initially thought. Well, he was going to have to get wet either way now. Having almost forgotten about the Sheikah who had remained on the shore, he jerked slightly when his soothing voice played against his pointed ears.   
  
He looked back at him, gave a quick nod, and grinned. "All right! Thanks." He had to wonder if all of his niceness and his usually chipper attitude was wasted on Sheik and his serious manner, but at times he felt as if he got through to him... he wasn't sure how he got through to him, but that he made Sheik feel something. What that feeling was, well... Link didn't even really have the best grasp on feelings to begin with.   
  
Once Sheik had walked off he pulled off his hat, something he hardly ever did, and with his strong left arm threw it back to the shore, then, rolling up his sleeves as well, he took a deep breath and dived underwater. If he had to get wet, may as well go the whole nine yards. Not to mention it was a rather humid day and taking a swim was rather pleasant.   
  
After messing around for a bit, he re-surfaced and scanned the lake's waters for fish. Oddly enough, in a matter of moments one started to swim rather close to him, and with a determined look on his face, tongue out in concentration, he leapt after it, diving under and chasing it, arms outstretched in hopes of getting a hold on it.   
  
/Come on, come on, come on... ugh, can't breath, why didn't I equip the Zora tunic--- comeoncomeonCOMEon STUPID fish!! Yes! Gotcha'!/ Grinning to himself for a moment underwater as he wrapped his fingers around the slippery fish, he quickly made his way back to the surface so that he didn't lose it again, and then headed back to the shore as quickly as he could, breathing heavily from the chase.   
  
--   
  
Sheik had glanced back, even smiled a bit as his sharp crimson eyes picked up Link happily waving about a captured fish, when something in the quiet day seemed to go wrong. He couldn't place exactly what had spawned the feeling of unease for a long moment, until he realized that there was a distinct rumbling sound coming from the nearby Gerudo Valley.   
  
Before he could fully place exactly what might cause such a noise (which, he noted, was steadily getting louder), he was thrown flat on his back by a rather tremendous seismic shock.   
  
Blinking past the accompanying dazed feeling of being rather forcibly knocked off one's feet, he took only a moment to get up on the still-trembling ground. As in any earthquake, the initial hit didn't last long, and immediately, he was on his feet, immediately scanning the damage to the land around him. The valley was far from a safe place to be situated in during an earthquake, and they should get out of there as soon as possible.   
  
They. Himself and Link.   
  
Crap.   
  
He whirled around, remembering Link being in the lake, and not remembering what bodies of water do when unsettled from the ground beneath until he had completely been swallowed by water. The wave hadn't been huge, but he'd been barely onshore to start with.   
  
Clawing away his protective face scarf, he let himself be dragged out into the lake, kicking for the surface and gasping a bit as he surfaced. Crimson eyes glanced about the lake in a demeanor that could almost be described as perfectly calm, searching for his companion.   
  
--   
  
Link had almost been back to shore, wrestling with the fish that was squirming to get back to the water, and he had been about waist deep when it hit. The shaking had entirely taken him off-guard, and he was thrown backwards into the water, the fish having long ago escaped and swam off somewhere else. He grumbled to himself at that until he realized that he was underwater, and that the tide was dragging him farther out into the lake.   
  
Not to mention he had no idea where the surface was.   
  
But he had been in such shallow water a second ago. Making a guess as to which way was to the surface and yet again cursing himself for not having the Zora tunic, he started kicking madly towards the surface, or where he believed it to be. He got just a bit more nervous when he had been kicking for a while and still hadn't reached the surface.   
  
Wait, there it was! He took in a deep breath... of water. Seemed he had thought wrong. Struggling against the water that began to fill his lungs, he continued to fight for air, oh precious air. But he didn't get it. Nope, not at all. One eye winced closed from the intense pain in his lungs as he started to drown, all the water and the pressure of being so far under eventually got to him, and unconscious he was knocked.   
  
And so he started to fall towards the lake's bottom.   
  
-----  
  
Author's Notes  
  
Rydia: HAHAHA THIS IS GOING TO BE LIKE 5000 CHAPTERS IF I MAKE ALL THE CHAPTERS THIS SHORT! Well, I like where this one ends. So there. Oh man...I don't even remember writing this part. I can't believe this is the first Sheik I've ever written. I have such a weird perception of the Sheikahs. o_O; Oh, and just a side note, earthquakes, while they never happen like this anywhere else, happen like this in Hyrule. It is not MY fault I have never been in an earthquake. >_>; Court has, ask her. I'll upload the next chapter if I ever decide that it's fun to code again. (It's not. Fun. To. Code. ::gouges out eyes with a fork:: >O)  
  
Court: Gosh, this was so long ago! I'm surprised that I still like what I wrote as Link here. o_o; Kind of insane; people, this was started in the summer. Isn't that crazy? CRAZY I TELL YOU okay hi no, I'm not mentally ill. Um. My first Link post was lame, though. LAMEZORZ. And I'm sure that stopped people from continuing to read through it and even get this far! Ehh, the earthquake description was good enough. I've been through tons, and I say it was fine, so if you don't find it satisfactory, bite me. No, really. Bite me. I think it's kinky. :D  
  
--  
  
Stay tuned for Chapter 2 : In which Sheik gets propositioned by a Goddess! (someone shoot Rydia for that..) 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Deus ex Machina  
Author: Court ( burningvigor@aol.com ) as Link, Rydia ( chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com ) as Sheik and about everyone else  
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is not ours. The characters are not ours. The setting is not ours. We borrowed it to have some fun. We interpreted it in our own way. We make no money off of this so you can't sue us. Neither of us have any money anyway.  
Summary: In the year following Ganondorf's defeat, a tentative peace has settled over Hyrule. Now the Goddesses are demanding one more thing from the Hero of Time, but at what cost?  
Warning: AU (Sheik and Zelda are different people, and Navi was killed at the end of OoT since no one likes her anyway). Shounen ai/yaoi (YES that means there are GAY PEOPLE OMG NUU :P), Link/Sheik.  
  
**Important Note:** This entire fanfic has been written in role-play format. That means that there are sections. Court writes one, then Rydia writes one, and so on and so forth. Things are REPEATED. Why? Because when we started, we didn't intend for this to be a fanfic. Now that we're finishing it, we love it to pieces and want to share it with the world. So. All the Link sections were written by Court, and all the Sheik sections were written by Rydia. And Rydia made the chapter titles because she's weird.  
  
--  
  
**Chapter 2**  
_In which Sheik gets Propositioned by a Goddess_   
  
--  
  
_To sleep is an act of faith._  
  
-Barbara Grizzuti Harrison  
  
--  
  
It took only a moment for Sheik's eyes to spot a hint of green amid the now roiling waters. He swam toward it, ignoring the sense of panic building in the back of his mind. Upon reaching the object, though, he saw it was only Link's discarded hat.. the one he had seen the other toss back toward the shore.   
  
He didn't even know where to begin to look for his companion. Link was nowhere at the surface of the water, and Sheik hadn't seen him go under. Biting his lip, he made a guess as to where he might be judging from where he'd been standing, and dove under.   
  
Nothing.   
  
Adjusting his guess, he tried again, dimly aware of the fact that the longer he took, the less of a chance Link had of making it out of this alive. It wasn't the counsel's anger that he feared anymore, no, now it was something personal. He wouldn't forgive himself if Link lost his life...   
  
The irony was too much. Link had saved the world against impossible odds...only to drown while fishing in Lake Hylia? It was just stupid at best. Well, it wasn't going to happen, not on Sheik's watch.   
  
The third dive proved to be the lucky one, though he had to come up before able to get deep enough to slide one arm around Link's waist and pull him to the surface. He was already unconscious, it seemed, and Sheik only pressed himself harder to get to the shore.   
  
Dragging the unconscious Link a few meters from the water, he let the other lay on his back before leaning down, fighting a sudden burning in his cheeks and began mouth-to-mouth.   
  
--   
  
/Water. Drowning. Falling. Water Temple...?/ That's what it reminded Link of. But why was he there? He'd already defeated Morpha, received the Medallion, and he had vowed never to return to the truly evil temple again. So why was he there? /...I can't breath.../ Well, yes Link. Duh. He tried to struggle, flail, do anything to get to some source of air, but he couldn't move.   
  
/It's carrying me... where...? /   
  
Maybe it was just from a lack of air or maybe deep down inside, he knew that Sheik had his lips pressed against his own, but his cheeks were almost just as red. It would take a while before the mouth-to-mouth actually got through to him, pumped out his lungs, and it was surely long enough to give the Sheikah quite the fright, but eventually was he woken up, sputtering and flapping his arms around in quite a fit as he came out of his Water Temple nightmare.   
  
"Ugh..." he muttered after he had finished his coughing fit, still doing so every now and then in an attempt to get the last bits of water out. He felt like throwing up, but it was probably a better idea for him to just refrain. And now he had a headache. Great. But... what had happened...?   
  
Oh. Right. The earthquake. But...   
  
"Hi, Sheik," he murmured softly, a rather odd statement to make after he had almost just died, but hey, as the Hero of Time his life had been on the line practically every day. He weakly sat up, rubbing at his eyes that were now red from having them open for so long underwater, and he let out a few more coughs. "Geez... th-thanks..." he spat out, looking sheepishly up at his savior.   
  
"What was that...?"   
  
--   
  
It had taken a few tries, but Link was sitting up and breathing again, still choking out water at points.. but generally okay. Sheik felt himself release a tense breath that he didn't realize he was holding and not entirely sure /why/ he was.   
  
It was quite possibly the best sound he'd heard all day when Link murmured his name. He smiled with relief when he heard it, only then realizing that his scarf wasn't there. He'd taken it off.. sometime.. but when? It was the first time Link had ever seen his face, he knew, and to reveal his face was something very personal to him. Not many in his tribe had ever even seen his face.   
  
He wasn't sure he really even remembered his face.   
  
A hand was raised instinctively over his mouth and he found himself looking away from Link as Link looked up at him, feeling suddenly very much like he were naked. It was a silly thought, maybe, but it didn't stop it from happening. He drew back the hand that had been resting supportively on Link's shoulder. The situation was far too personal as it stood already.   
  
Not all Sheikahs covered their faces. Only the lower ranking ones, or those who chose to do so. Sheik himself had once ranked high enough to show his face, but never had. Now it would be shameful to show his uncovered face in the land of the Shadow people.   
  
"It.. was nothing." He felt flustered, still not looking Link in the eye. "Just glad you're all right."   
  
At Link's further question, he glanced up at the mountainous peaks around them. "I'm not exactly sure, but we should probably get out of here.. there will be aftershocks, and I don't trust these valley walls. Can you stand..?"   
  
--   
  
It was only when Sheik reacted in such a way, looking away and trying to cover his face that Link even realized that he didn't have it covered as he usually did. He blinked, turning his head slightly to the side as he examined the Sheikah. Maybe... maybe it was not good for Sheik to let his face show. "I... I'm sorry," he stammered, closing his eyes as if it'd be worse for Sheik the more he looked at it. Now he just felt like a total dork. The Hero of Time couldn't even stand an earthquake...?   
  
He continued to keep his eyes closed out of respect as his inquiries were responded to. "Hmm..." It seemed odd. An earthquake, now? Usually such things only happened when the land was under an assault, was in danger in some way. But Hyrule was in peace at the moment. So then why were such things happening...? Maybe it was just a coincidence, nothing he should worry over. He didn't have the time to think about it now, anyways.   
  
"Oh..." he breathed, opening his eyes as Sheik asked him about his stability. "I... think so." Biting on his lower lip, he pushed both hands against the ground harshly and then propelled himself upwards onto his feet. A bit shaky, but he managed not to lose his balance again. He grinned at his success, and looked over to Sheik as if asking for some praise, but quickly averted his vision when he remembered that his face was still revealed. His heart jumped, and he placed one hand against his chest in an effort to quell it. What was he so jumpy about?   
  
It was probably just because he had almost drowned. "Okay, we'll go, then. We'll take Epona, it'll be quicker." He whistled yet again to draw his horse over, who was also a bit shaken up after the earthquake. However, she could sense danger, and knew she needed to cooperate, standing still so that Link could jump on.   
  
He patted the space on Epona's back in front of him, having left enough room for Sheik to be able to get seated in front of him. "Come on," he said, once again trying to not look Sheik in the face in order to be polite.   
  
--   
  
Sheik noted Link's efforts to look away and ended up feeling a bit silly. He didn't reply to the apology, though.. it just made it seem even sillier for him to be acting this way. Hylians didn't have the same cultural system as the Sheikahs, though they were essentially the same race.   
  
He had had the same thoughts about the earthquake, only his thoughts were centered around the fact that an earthquake this bad had never hit anywhere close to Lake Hylia.. which meant one of two things. Either the quake was extremely severe in other parts of Hyrule, or there had been one in a place there had never been one before. Either way, it meant trouble for Hyrule.   
  
Once Link made it to his feet, he was already there, and although he didn't have much of a chance to look, he didn't see his scarf anywhere. He must have lost it in the water. Pressing his lips together, he watched, although rather indirectly, never looking at the other's face, as Link steadied himself. He seemed pretty stable, which was good. He started just a bit when Link pressed a hand to his heart, but the moment passed, and soon, the majestic mount was racing to meet them.   
  
He brushed gently at the wetness of his face, shivering just slightly in the cool breeze as he waited for Link to mount. Then he too hopped on, and though he would have rather avoided it, the physical contact was inevitable. He'd just have to grit his teeth and bear it.   
  
Once on the horse, he took the reigns and gently eased the horse towards the entrance to the lake. "I apologize for my....diffident manners. I'm required to cover my face amid my people because of the situation with her majesty in the Temple of Time, and I'm not used to...being seen."   
  
There, he'd apologized. It sounded stupid, but at least Link couldn't see his cheeks burning with just a slight hint of pink.   
  
--   
  
Link had lost something of his as well -- his hat. Though Sheik hadn't seen him with it off before, he didn't mind nearly as much as the Sheikah seemed to about his scarf. He was sure he could find another one, though he did miss his old one. Maybe it would wash up on the shores in a few days? Then again, it didn't seem the Lake Hylia area was even safe anymore...   
  
His eyes trailed down to the sheath of his Master Sword. Would he once against have to unsheathe it, use it against more fiends? Was Ganondorf back? No... it... it couldn't be, could it? Someone else, then? Was someone inspired by what Ganondorf had attempted, and was going to try and do the same, but succeed? He let out a soft sigh... it seemed there was much more in line for the Hero of Time.   
  
So lost in his thoughts was he that when Sheik began speaking, he straightened a bit on the horse. "Ohh. Um. Don't worry about it," he said with a grin. "It's my fault that you lost it, anyway," he admitted sheepishly. The Hero of Time wasn't supposed to do things like that, but anyone that knew Link knew that he wasn't your regular hero, always perfect in every way. Actually, most of the time he was tripping over his own feet.   
  
He lightly tapped one of his boots against Epona's side, and then did the horse begin to speed up, heading for the gates that lined the entrance to the lake. He just hoped that the horse actually jumped them this time. Then again, Epona really just acted properly when it was important. Though, better that than never at all.   
  
However, the horse had sped up almost a little too much, which almost sent Link flying backwards off of her. And so he instinctively leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Sheik to make sure that didn't happen. Except... well... Sheik didn't seem to want to even be within a foot of him, let alone be grasped by him. So quickly enough did he let go, leaning back slightly, and tightly gripping the saddle instead. It was a lot less stable, but he didn't want to make Sheik feel more uncomfortable than he already did without his scarf.   
  
He seemed to be doing a lot wrong today.   
  
--   
  
Sheik felt himself instinctively stiffen as Link's arms wrapped around his middle when the horse sped up, but somehow, it wasn't as odd of a sensation as he thought it should have been. Then again, he reflected, not fifteen minutes ago, he'd dragged this person out of the water and gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It was like they had already maxed out the awkwardness scale and the little stuff didn't seem so weird anymore.   
  
Besides, the brief dip in Lake Hylia had left him cold and Link's arms were keeping him from getting too cold. And when those arms left, he couldn't quite suppress the shiver that went down his spine. He wondered what Link would think if he purposely bucked the mount so that those arms would have to go around him again, and the thought granted a tiny smile on his lips.   
  
And then.. he mentally slapped himself. What the hell was that all about anyway? The feelings should have been all of indifference. He took his customs too seriously, and Link was just overly sensitive of his feelings. That's all there was to it and all there WOULD be to it.   
  
He supposed he knew at the back of his mind that the basis of all this had started years before Link knew he even existed, asleep in the Temple of Time with only a small band appointed by the Lady Zelda to watch over him. He remembered being severely reprimanded after touching the Hero of Time's face as he slept, oblivious to the tender care given to him. He knew what started this, and he wished he knew how to end it.   
  
He didn't think about it much, there was no point. It would never be anything anyway, and there was no purpose in giving thought to such things. Even on the remote possibility that something did come... it meant nothing. So he tried to convince himself he wasn't so stupid as to pursue it....when there was no other reason be where he was.   
  
It caught him slightly off guard when the horse jumped over the fence, as he wasn't really paying attention. But he caught himself immediately, and in sufficient time for the second jump.   
  
He wished his brain would just shut up.   
  
--   
  
Link didn't even notice. He didn't notice that Sheik had shivered for just a second there. He didn't notice that small smile that washed over Sheik's face. He noticed nothing. Not a single thing. Mostly because he had no idea what to look for; another adding factor being that he was a bit weak still from just about dying back there. And... he was a bit worried.   
  
He had never realized how warm that hat had kept his head. With his revealed blond strands blowing in the cold wind -- now that dusk was beginning to near -- he started shaking just slightly, but tried to suppress it. The Hero of Time was supposed to be strong, he reminded himself. Be able to face any situation with the utmost courage. A cold night shouldn't be a problem.   
  
Sheik was right there and he couldn't even delve into the other man's body warmth. It was rather frustrating, but he knew it was best to refrain. Besides, if he were normal, he'd be thinking about how he wished he was with a girl right now, but most of the females he had met had either scared him to death they were so clingy, or... he just didn't feel anything for them.   
  
Once again was he reminded of how he seemed to be unable to love. Even when Navi, his 'faithful' companion, left... he had gotten over it so quickly. Then again, that might have been because the fairy had gotten him caught by a Wallmaster on quite a few occasions, and he'd held a grudge ever since.   
  
Once they were past the few fence-jumps, they were out on the huge field that he had traversed his way across countless times. Then he realized something. "Um... Sheik? Where are we going to go?" The Hylian didn't exactly have a home to go to -- there was the Kokiri forest, but that was out of the question -- so he had no idea where they could get some rest. And some warmth. Then again, considering it was starting to get dark... Sheik would probably be disappearing in a puff of smoke rather soon.   
  
Just the thought of the Sheikah remaining around for the entire night seemed absurd to him. Sheik didn't do things like that. He'd either find some place for Link to spend the night or leave when he least expected it and leave him to find someplace on his own. And that would probably turn into him just resting out on the field, shivering the night away...   
  
--   
  
Where, indeed? Sheik steered the horse out of the valley, deftly aware of the fact that they both seemed rather homeless at the moment. It was hardly a new situation for either of them, he supposed, but now, without any real direction, nowhere they /should/ be, nothing that really /needed/ to be done, he was beginning to understand the awkwardness of this freedom.   
  
All thoughts of such were immediately vanquished from his mind, though, as something caught his attention in the corner of his eye. Turning his head to the darkening east, he noted something he recalled hoping never to see again. And was momentarily rendered speechless in surprise.   
  
Death Mountain was no longer quiet, as it had become when Link had defeated Volvagia and awakened Darunia as a sage. No, it was now fiercely aglow with the burning fires that had been a common sight when the Dark One had been in control. The volcano was erupting again.   
  
This could only mean trouble. Granted, sometimes these things happened without reason, but when they happened all at once, like now.. "There is trouble brewing," he said softly, crimson eyes not leaving the mountain. "The fires burn atop Death Mountain again."   
  
Perhaps there would be some direction for them again after all.   
  
It was not a happy thought, though. Although a moment ago, distractions would have been welcome, this had not been what he had hoped for. He felt very small suddenly in a way that could only have been from being apart from the tribe. Alone, he was small, insignificant....   
  
...but he couldn't go back yet. They wouldn't allow it.   
  
"I suppose we should camp for the night..."   
  
--   
  
Link himself was thinking of where they could go. Link himself, being the Hero of Time, would probably be allowed to spend the night just about anywhere, by this time friendly with all of the tribes -- Gorons, Zoras, Kokiri (he winced slightly at this)... any of them would welcome him with open arms.   
  
Sheik, on the other hand... He frowned slightly as he looked at the back of Sheik's shiny blond head. No, it wouldn't be nearly as easy to find somewhere to stay if he had the Sheikah in tow. Not that the Hylian minded in any way. He would rather have a companion and no place to go than the other way around. He'd been on his own for long enough.   
  
He just as quickly noticed the red ring that circled atop the mountain, one he had come to know so well ever since he first walked out of the Temple of Time as a seventeen-year-old. He thought he had gotten rid of it with the defeat of the dragon, but it seemed things were in fact still amiss. This wasn't something that could be easily ignored.   
  
Sighing softly, he patted Epona lovingly to instill himself with some sense of comfort. He nodded to Sheik's statements. "Seems I've got more waiting for me," he muttered. His role as the Hero of Time was not yet over, and in a way, this was a good thing for him. Mainly because Link had no idea what he was going to do now that Ganondorf had been sealed. It had been his entire purpose just to seal him away, and now that he had done that, there was nothing to do.   
  
So as much as he wanted Hyrule to remain peaceful, the Hylian thrived off of danger. He raised an eyebrow at Sheik's suggestion. Shouldn't they go check out Death Mountain? Suddenly eager now that he was presented with such a threat, he was all ready to go and see what was wrong. Then again, he was known for rushing things. Maybe it would be better to wait until morning.   
  
"All right," he nodded, beginning to look for a good place to camp. Maybe they would get lucky and find a cave or something? One that wasn't Poe-infested, he hoped.   
  
--   
  
Link's reaction to the new threat came slightly unexpected to the Sheikah, but he realized soon enough that it shouldn't have been that way. He knew he didn't know Link as well he sometimes liked to think, but he knew well enough Link's tendency to take tremendous amounts of responsibility on himself, simply because he didn't want anyone else to have to suffer through it.   
  
It was admirable as much as it was idealistic. Perhaps the Hero of Time was a solo job, but he'd had more help than he even knew. Link had not seen the villages burned to the ground without warning in the middle of the night. Link had not seen the armies of undead sent to demolish anyone the Dark Lord considered a threat. Link had not seen the small group of Sheikahs tending to his sleeping form daily and praying that he would soon awaken and rescue them.   
  
"Your ambition is as admirable as it is naive," he said softly, his mind still turning over the events of the day, searching for a possible cause. "This...is different somehow. It is not only for you to deal with. We need to gather information before we do anything else...."   
  
He was more talking to himself at the end of the statement than to Link, his mind completely off the subject of finding a place to camp for the night... This situation seemed familiar somehow, as though he knew something about it from before, from a long, long time ago.   
  
Sighing slightly, he forced himself back to the task at hand. A campsite. It'd do them no good if they knew what was going on and then died of exposure. Sharp eyes scanned the plains around them for a suitable location and finally settled on a small cave near the entrance to Gerudo Valley.   
  
He pointed it out to Link. "That will probably do. There's not much time until darkness settles and we need a fire."   
  
--   
  
Yes. Link had always wondered what exactly everyone had been forced to go through those seven years when he was put to rest in the Temple of Time. He had wished that he been around to help everyone through whatever had gone on then. He was sure it hadn't been good. But those seven years couldn't be repaid, really. If he were to try and go through it all again, it would just end up in the same way. He would just have to live knowing that he had missed out on seven years of his life.   
  
Sheik's comment wasn't expected, and he just sort of stared at him for a moment afterwards. What exactly did he mean by that? There was probably no point trying to ponder it... it would just hurt his head, really. He was sure Sheik didn't mean anything bad by it, though. But it was true -- they couldn't just rush into this and hope for the best results. They had to be careful, mostly because they didn't know what they were up against this time.   
  
Yes, the cave seemed good enough. They were close to it, and Link was getting a bit stiff, since it was somewhat uncomfortable sitting on Epona with two people, so he jumped off and walked along besides the horse as they headed towards the cave. Not to mention actually moving rather than letting Epona do the work warmed him up a bit.   
  
"Fire." Just then did that part of what Sheik said register. "I can do Din's Fire, if that will help," he suggested. He was trying to be a bit calmer after Sheik's comment about his ambition. Poor guy.   
  
--   
  
Link's slight silence was noted, and Sheik wondered idly if he'd been too blunt with the other. It was hard to remember sometimes that Link was still a boy, trapped inside a man's body. Maybe he wasn't being fair. But it was too late to recall his words. Perhaps he would just have to mind his words a bit more while around Link.   
  
He shivered again as Link leapt off Epona's back, as what little warmth he was getting just from having another body in close proximity to his. Still, he waited until they were slightly closer to the cave before following suit and jumping off the horse. He nodded at Link's suggestion, inspecting the cave further.   
  
"Not as large as I thought," he commented. "The horse won't fit. Will she be all right outside?"   
  
While still speaking, he was glancing about them for fire wood and found there wasn't much in the way of vegetation. Still, a few bushes here and there, enough so that they'd likely be able to scrounge something together in the way of a fire.   
  
--   
  
"Yeah, she'll be fine," Link told him. Epona had spent quite a few nights outside... Link was sure she had to all the time when she was back at Lon Lon Ranch, keeping Malon company as she sang out in the middle of the field. Not to mention she hadn't gotten soaked, and they had.   
  
Even if it was a small cave, it would be big enough. When he took a few steps inside, he realized that it wasn't any warmer in than out, as he had been hoping. Well, a fire would in fact fix that. He began to gather some brambles and shrubs and things that he hoped would burn, and once he had enough, he took the bits that Sheik had gotten as well and arranged them all in a nice pile inside the cave. Not really as much wood substance as he would have liked, but it should do.   
  
He gestured for Sheik to move away a bit. After all, Din's Fire had quite a range and he didn't want to singe the Sheikah or anything. He was rather surprised that Sheik was even still there. It was probably because he was interested in what was going on with Death Mountain and figured it'd be good to stick with Link if they wanted to find out.   
  
Well, whatever. Link didn't mind. He crouched down slightly, one arm outstretched in the pose necessary for the spell to be cast, then letting out a yell as he so often did and straightening a bit as he executed it.   
  
...nothing. He frowned. Had he done something wrong? He had enough magic... strange. He glanced over at Sheik. "I... I don't know what's wrong," he stammered.   
  
--   
  
Din's Fire did not work.   
  
Sheik was frowning at this development. There was something very wrong in the whole situation and the fact that he couldn't quite place a finger on what it was was quite annoying indeed. Natural disasters that shouldn't be happening... magic that didn't work... something big was coming. But he didn't know what it was.   
  
By all rights, the spell /should/ have worked. Granted, the music portals the Sheikahs had created to warp from temple to temple no longer worked since the sages had all been awakened and the temples sealed, but magic should have still worked. Sheik himself possessed no ability to use magic, though he certainly made it seem like he did with his illusory tricks. He couldn't try anything else.   
  
He could have Link try and use Farore's Wind or Nayru's Love... but if Din's Fire didn't work, why would the other two? It'd be a waste of magic power to try, even if they did work, because the two spells were completely defensive and there was no enemy.   
  
Or, he corrected himself grimly, none that they could see.   
  
After a moment of silence with Link looking sheepishly at him, as though he'd done something wrong, he broke the silence. "That's...strange. I suppose we'll have to make the fire on our own, then." He knelt by the small pile of sticks and brush and began attempting to make a spark.   
  
--   
  
It was one thing after the other today. First Epona was acting weird, not listening. Maybe she had sensed that something was wrong, something was going to happen in Lake Hylia, and Link had just been too stupid to notice. Granted, the horse had been rather edgy lately, and she had been more than obliged to get away from the lake. The earthquake itself after that... then the ring of fire over Death Mountain. And now this. He had never been unable to cast it before, the three goddesses had always been there to help him.   
  
Wait.   
  
Maybe something had happened to Din... Maybe She was just unable to help him for whatever reason. But She was a goddess, and therefore wouldn't go down so easy. He put a hand to his mouth in contemplation. He just couldn't figure out what was wrong.   
  
"Right," he murmured softly, absent-mindedly, still thinking about all the problems as he kneeled down across from Sheik and helped trying to get a fire started. His hands kept slipping however, and eventually he gave up and threw off his gloves, hoping his bare hands would give him a better grip. Still, he just wasn't that good at stuff like this. Sheik had a better chance at actually starting a fire.   
  
"Maybe I can't use magic anymore...?" This was the first time he had tried it after he had sealed Ganondorf, after all. But it didn't make sense. He had sealed Ganondorf, and only Ganondorf. The goddesses had nothing to do with that. But maybe they had gone into some sort of slumber now that there was no more danger...? But there was danger. Maybe their absence was bringing about problems.   
  
He sighed. This was getting rather confusing.   
  
--   
  
It was indeed confusing. And Sheik couldn't get the damned fire to start either. His fingers were practically numb with the chill of the dusk that had settled quite nicely like it always did, and that was making things difficult. Link didn't seem to be having much luck with the matter either, even having thrown aside his bulky, albeit useful, gloves.   
  
/This just isn't our day,/ he thought to himself, beginning to feel more than just a little annoyed. He was already on edge from the odd circumstances surrounding the day, not to mention they /still/ hadn't gotten anything to eat and were both still soaked to the bone. But his spirits raised a bit as a spark finally caught a piece of brush on fire and started the entire pile ablaze. He suddenly felt a little like dancing. He settled for casting a triumphant smile in Link's direction.   
  
He remained leaning forward as Link suggested that perhaps he could no longer use magic, warming his hands by the small fire. It wasn't very big and probably wouldn't last the whole night.   
  
"I...really don't know," he admitted softly, staring at the fire as though it would give him the answers he sought. "We're missing something, something important." But what? What could there be?   
  
Frustrated again, he frowned.   
  
--   
  
Link was relieved that Sheik managed to eventually get the fire roaring. He didn't really want to spend any more time making a fool of himself, fumbling with the rock that he couldn't even get a grip on with his bare hands, and once the flames spread and erupted, the rock was tossed over his shoulder with disdain. He leaned into the warmth as well, hands pressed near to the licking flames. Now he'd actually be able to dry off.   
  
There was one slight problem, though. When he thought fire, he thought food -- mainly because a fire was necessary for food. For fish. He recalled the one he had caught with nostalgia. It hadn't been big, yes, but it would have been enough to satiate him so his stomach didn't growl in protest as it did now. It had been the entire day. Well, at least he'd be sleeping soon so he wouldn't have to think about it.   
  
He grinned back at Sheik, but it was wiped away as they started discussing the subject of his magic yet again. It seemed like more and more of a good idea to try using the other two spells he knew.   
  
"I'm not sure what we're missing, but I'm going to try Farore's Wind and Nayru's Love. Just to see." There might be no point to it, but he wanted to see. And so with a huff, he got to his feet, stretched upwards (and he felt his back crack with a flinch), and then tried to cast Farore's Wind.   
  
Lo and behold, it worked. It didn't produce the portal because he wasn't in a dungeon, but it was obvious that the spell had worked. "...that one works..." he mused.   
  
Now Nayru's Love. The same process, and the blue-ish shield was erected around him, making him impervious to any attacks. "These work... so why didn't...?"   
  
--   
  
Sheik watched stoically as both the green magic of Farore and the blue of Nayru took effect with no problem whatsoever. This was getting more and more perplexing. It would have made more sense if /none/ of the magic had worked.   
  
Din's fire... fire... but there was a fire in front of them, crackling cheerily away. There was a ring of fire around Death Mountain. If there was a problem with the fire, there wouldn't have been an earthquake, unless there was a problem with the land too... and there'd be no way to tell. Even looking at the Goddesses, they all Three had formed the land, though it had been mostly been Din...   
  
Din.   
  
There was something wrong with Din.   
  
Something so wrong that the very earth was reacting to the trouble. But what in Hyrule could possibly ail a Goddess? The Goddess of Power, no less, the one credited with being the most powerful of the Three. Link had just demonstrated that the other two were fine, but what could just affect one of the Goddesses?   
  
"Din," he said softly. "There's something...wrong with Her. But...but what could possibly effect Her and not the others?"   
  
Again, the puzzle deepened. Little did they know it'd all be explained to them in a matter of hours..   
  
--   
  
Link had come to the same conclusion. It was all revolving around Din now. She had been the one that had made most of the land they now walked upon... there was an earthquake... but... weren't the Goddesses the ones that actually -caused- the natural disasters? That means that Din would have been able to start the earthquake. And there was no way someone had taken Her power.   
  
That meant... "Wait. No. Something's not wrong with Her. She's not hurt, I mean," he said, trying to work out his thoughts by voicing them out loud. "She had caused that earthquake just fine, but She didn't lend me the power to cast Din's Fire." He frowned, then closing his eyes as he tried to calm down and think about it logically.   
  
"Maybe I've angered Her somehow, and She no longer wants to aid me?" Just like Link to blame it all on himself. He didn't want to think that anyone else should have to deal with the burden, but instead just make it his own problem, something he would solve all on his lonesome. Because he was scared if he dragged anyone else into it they'd get hurt. Or... killed.   
  
But he doubted Sheik would just back down this time.   
  
Wait, Sheik was Zelda. He gaped -- he still needed to figure that out. Were they just two different people in one body? It didn't make sense. Zelda would need to be back at Hyrule, working on rebuilding the kingdom. So why was she here...?   
  
"Sheik, umm... can you control when you're Zelda and when you're... you?" It must have sounded so stupid, but he really had no idea how it worked, and he wanted to find out already.   
  
--   
  
"No... not you...." Link's conclusion made sense...mostly. "She attacked Death Mountain too, and that's at the other end of Hyrule." But what could have possibly angered Her so much that She'd attack all of Hyrule? "She's angry with all of us."   
  
He poked wearily at the fire, trying to elicit more warmth from it as Link mulled silently over what he had to say. He wasn't really looking at the other, and so completely missed the look of shock that appeared briefly on Link's face. But there was a distinct curiosity in his tone when he spoke again, asking a very odd question.   
  
Sheik looked up and blinked at him for a moment, the thought that Link still thought he and Zelda were the same not occurring to him at first. Zelda was supposed to have told him everything, but then... she'd gotten kidnapped. So of course he didn't know.   
  
"Oh... I thought you knew, sorry." It was his turn to sound sheepish.   
  
"Her Lady Zelda was very concerned for you when you awoke. She wanted to aide you herself, but Lady Impa would not allow her to go--it was far too dangerous. She sent me instead, instilling a spell in me that allowed her to see what I saw, hear what I heard. I relayed her message and helped you, while she looked on from safety.   
  
"When we fooled you into thinking we were the same person, it was for the Dark One's benefit. We knew the Temple of Time was being watched. It wouldn't have made sense for the Dark Lord /not/ to have it watched. However, we did not expect him to attack. She was supposed to 'turn' back into me so that the Dark One would believe I had the Triforce of Wisdom he sought and left Zelda alone so that you could more easily defeat him as he chased after me.   
  
"But, as you know, things went a little wrong, and I was unable to keep the Dark Lord from attacking." His head was lowered slightly. "It was.. my fault she got taken from you. I'm sorry."   
  
--   
  
Well, it made sense. Link shouldn't think he was so important, to think that Din was mad at him and only him. He really wasn't that special. But he never meant to see things that way. He was just trying to do his best to make sure no one else had to get involved, not to seem egotistical or anything like that. Link just didn't do things like that. He was always trying to do everything in everyone else's benefit, and sometimes he forgot about his own well-being.   
  
This was shown well enough by his wet, weak, shaking form and his empty stomach. He canted his head to the side as Sheik made the statement about him thinking he knew, and was suddenly dumped into even more confusion, but luckily the Sheikah was willing to explain.   
  
Well, it was somewhat confusing, but he thought he understood. He felt sort of bad about having been tricked, but... it had been necessary for their plan, even if that hadn't worked out. "No, don't... don't worry about it. I was always sort of nervous around her, anyways. She was Royalty. I was just a fairy boy," he mumbled, remembering his old nickname that wasn't applicable now that Navi was gone. Then again, he had been growing rather weary of it, anyways. Hero of Time wasn't much better, though.   
  
"Don't be sorry. Ganondorf is gone now, and that's all that matters, right?" He smiled cheerfully, hoping he could make Sheik feel a little better. Seemed he also liked to blame things on himself, but it wasn't nearly as severe a case as Link had.   
  
...was Ganondorf really sealed, though? With all this trouble, it made him wonder.   
  
--   
  
Sheik found himself smiling at Link's reply, though it was devoid of mirth and all together rather rueful. It was one of Link's more charming qualities, his ability to see the good of anyone, to forgive and forget at the drop of a hat. But he had to look past that now. He stared into the red-orange flames.   
  
"I only wish my people were as forgiving as you are," he said quietly. "Ganondorf may be sealed away, but..."   
  
...but allowing your charge to be kidnapped in front of you was something not so easily forgiven by a group of people whose lives were spent serving the royal family of Hyrule. He wasn't about to say as much, though, not right now. Being reduced to a wandering hermit not allowed to show his face to others of his people was humbling enough without having to explain the whole ordeal over again.   
  
Link would forgive him, he already had.. but he didn't know if he was so ready to accept that. Link didn't know the full extent of what had happened, /why/ Ganondorf had been able to get in... it was all the Sheikah's fault. If only he'd been watching a little more closely, if only he'd noticed....   
  
But it was all in the past now. Dwelling on it would do him no good.   
  
He glanced briefly up at his companion. "...do you want first watch?"   
  
--   
  
Sheik's comment about his people sort of confused Link, but the way he said it made it seem like he really would rather not discuss it further. The whole Sheikah race (he never did understand why there were practically considered a different species than Hylians, but he figured he might just be ignorant about it) was just sort of a mystery to him. He knew their job, vaguely, but their inner workings he knew nothing about.   
  
He just sort of stared into the flames himself, not really thinking about anything, until Sheik posed the question. Watch, huh? He had... sort of forgotten about that. The whole idea of watches were sort of new to him since he had never had someone to travel with that he could exchange watches with.   
  
This also meant that he'd have to sit up and listen to his growling stomach for half a night. Eh well, may as well get it over with now.   
  
"Yeah, sure," he responded, pulling his gloves back on to bring back the warmth and the extreme strength that the golden gauntlets gave him. It was odd, how strong he was with these, and he'd scared quite a few people because of them. Not to mention the hover boots. He'd even been called a fallen angel on a few occasions thanks to them, to which he had just blushed and explained how the boots worked.   
  
And so he moved closer to the mouth of the cave in order to be a proper watchman, meanwhile contemplating where he could get a new hat. The Kokiri would have one, wouldn't they? Egh. He'd just have to grit his teeth and bear it. 'cause he wanted a new hat, dammit.   
  
--   
  
Sheik watched as Link made his way to the entrance of the cave and then curled into a ball next to the fire, wishing he had something dry to put over him. He was still shivering cold. And noticed that Link was too.. but there wasn't a lot that could be done. The fire was as big as it was going to be, and there was no other source of heat.   
  
Except, well, each other.   
  
/Oh, shut up./ He wasn't even going to think about that.   
  
Closing his eyes and resting his head on one of his arms, he lay there for only a few moments before falling asleep, being more exhausted than he had originally realized. Well, he /had/ been through a bit of trauma that day, though not nearly as much as Link had. Maybe he shouldn't have made him be first watch. Maybe...   
  
...but he was asleep before he could finish the thought.   
  
He dreamt of a cavern he had never seen before. He was standing in the middle of it, looking blankly around. He knew it was a dream, because he was dry and warm, and he had been decidedly cold and wet when he had fallen asleep. So when She appeared, he couldn't say as he was really very surprised.   
  
"Hello, Sheikah." Her mouth was not moving, but he could hear Her voice. She was very elegant, more so than he would have expected (though seeing a Goddess wasn't something someone really expected), but an almost roguish demeanor followed Her. She was very beautiful, fairly reeking of power, and Her essence was like that of the fire spell named for Her.   
  
Sheik fell to his knees in front of Her, bowing his head to the ground. "Lady Din...," he whispered, not really believing what he was saying, "...to what do I owe the honor?"   
  
-----  
  
Author's Notes  
  
Court: YO YO LINK THE TRIFORCE IS NEEDED  
FOR GANONDORF TO GET BEATED  
SO GET THE SAGES, MEDALLIONS TOO  
AND THEN I WILL MAKE LOVE TO YOU!  
  
Rydia: YEAH MY NAME IS LINK AND I'M SO COOL  
I'M HITTIN' THE ROAD TRYIN' TO SAVE HYRULE  
I GOT THIS BUDDY, HIS NAME IS SHEIK  
AND WHEN HE'S NAKED I LIKE TO PEEK  
  
--  
  
Stay tuned for Chapter 3 : In which Din expresses Her general unhappiness! 


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Deus ex Machina  
Author: Court ( burningvigor@aol.com ) as Link, Rydia ( chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com ) as Sheik and about everyone else  
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is not ours. The characters are not ours. The setting is not ours. We borrowed it to have some fun. We interpreted it in our own way. We make no money off of this so you can't sue us. Neither of us have any money anyway.  
Summary: In the year following Ganondorf's defeat, a tentative peace has settled over Hyrule. Now the Goddesses are demanding one more thing from the Hero of Time, but at what cost?  
Warning: AU (Sheik and Zelda are different people, and Navi was killed at the end of OoT since no one likes her anyway). Shounen ai/yaoi (YES that means there are GAY PEOPLE OMG NUU :P), Link/Sheik.  
  
**Important Note:** This entire fanfic has been written in role-play format. That means that there are sections. Court writes one, then Rydia writes one, and so on and so forth. Things are REPEATED. Why? Because when we started, we didn't intend for this to be a fanfic. Now that we're finishing it, we love it to pieces and want to share it with the world. So. All the Link sections were written by Court, and all the Sheik sections were written by Rydia. And Rydia made the chapter titles because she's weird.  
  
--  
  
**Chapter 3**  
_In which Din expresses Her General Unhappiness_   
  
--  
  
_there's nothing I'd like  
better than to fall  
but I fear  
I have nothing to give  
I have so much to lose  
I have nothing to give_  
  
Sarah McLachlan "Fear"  
  
--  
  
Okay, so maybe the cave's inside was a little warmer than being closer to the cold night air. And the wind, oh the wind. That so nicely came right up to where he was sitting and ruffled Link's clothing and still damp hair and made him shiver and hug himself. It was rather nice, though. Just looking at the night sky, the stars. He was so busy that he didn't actually appreciate it most of the time.   
  
Epona was walking about, nibbling at bits of grass here and there as she had been earlier in the day. Seemed she hadn't felt like sleeping yet. He had spent many such nights actually using the horse for warmth, curling up next to her. Wouldn't really work this time, though.   
  
Even worse than the cold was just the boredom. He had to do all he could not to just fall asleep right there. He wouldn't dare, though. Or he was going to try his best not to, anyways. He would have felt like he had failed his duty to Sheik if he just fell asleep on his own watch.   
  
Sheik knew so much more than him, that it was as if Link was scared of him at times. Even though Sheik would never do anything, or probably even care. He just wanted to do things right.   
  
He looked over his shoulder at the sleeping Sheikah, who seemed to be having some sort of dream, the way he was turning about and just whispering words.   
  
He turned back to look out of the cave and into the open field. Didn't seem to be any danger...   
  
--   
  
"You may rise, Sheikah."   
  
Her voice was as regal as Her aura, and Sheik doubted he would have been able to do otherwise as he carefully picked himself up off the ground. He kept his head bowed in respect, not looking at the Goddess.   
  
"I have come to you tonight to deliver a message to this land." He could feel Her burning eyes on him, and he wondered what Her message was, and just who was going to listen to a fallen Sheikah.   
  
He could feel Her essence on him, and knew She could hear his thoughts. He winced slightly as She violated his private thoughts.. though it could hardly be violation, the Goddesses had created him after all....   
  
"That's right, you are Ours to do with as we please." Her voice had chilled slightly, though it still seemed to be on fire somehow. "And if We are angered, We are justified in Our anger."   
  
He did not answer.   
  
"I am angry with this land. So generously have I bestowed My power to you, I with My Sisters, and now you seal away My power as if it meant nothing to you. What good is My gift to you when you refuse to use it?"   
  
Ganondorf. She was talking about Ganondorf and the Triforce of Power locked within him. She wanted them to...?   
  
"That's right. I want you to unseal My gift. I have chosen you to keep it. I will not relent my siege of this place until you get My gift back."   
  
And Sheik woke up.   
  
No longer cold, no longer tired. He stared at the cave's ceiling, breathing heavily and sweating and wondering what the hell they were going to do now.   
  
--   
  
Keen senses had been forced into the Hero of Time, considering all of the training and fighting he had been put through. He had to know what was going on at all times, from the Wallmaster skulking about on the ceiling to the Keese flapping around across the room. And he had to not get himself killed. Keeping fairies in bottles at all times also helped with that, but most of it was thanks to his senses.   
  
Now, if he just knew what the heck emotions were...   
  
Either way, Link had no problem hearing Sheik wake up with a start, and he also was able to see that the harp-player seemed rather distressed. Frowning slightly, he stood up and paced over to the dying fire where the Sheikah was laying.   
  
"You... all right?" he questioned tentatively, then kneeling down nearby him, but making sure he wasn't too close. It must have been a bad dream or something. Hopefully quickly fixed, and then he'd get back to his drudging watch.   
  
However, it was actually a lot more important than just your typical nightmare.   
  
--   
  
Sheik sat up slowly, slowing his breathing and heartbeat as best he could, and wiping a bit of the sweat from his brow. The chill of the air sunk in rather quickly and unkindly, and he shivered. Then Link's voice reached him and he barely kept himself from jumping in surprise. He'd gotten quite used to waking up alone by this point, and he had somehow not even heard Link cross over to his side.   
  
Link's face was dimly lit by the dying flame, casting an eerie glow to his eyes. It was almost surreal, and for a moment, he was almost able to believe it was all just something he'd made up. But then Link moved, ever so slightly, and broke the spell.   
  
"I....we...."   
  
His throat was dry, and his voice sounded strange in his ears. He cleared his throat and tried again, this time choosing his words more carefully.   
  
"Her Lady Din.. came to me in my dream... Link, She wants the Triforce of Power back. She won't stop the siege of Hyrule until we....get it back."   
  
--   
  
Link had never seen Sheik so shaken up. It must have been something really bad for him to be so out of sorts; it almost seemed wrong for Sheik to be anything but calm and composed.   
  
He let out a soft gasp as he explained it. "Din... she... but that means. Ganondorf." Wait. Wait wait wait wait WAIT.   
  
"When you say 'we', do you mean me and you? She's dumping this on us?" He actually sounded more excited than annoyed, which was actually somewhat scary, but... So, that's what was up. She didn't want the Triforce of Power just sealed away.   
  
Could they somehow take it away from Ganondorf without actually unsealing him as well? That would be the ideal situation, but the Triforce usually picked who it wished to serve, and Link got the idea that it wouldn't so easily detach itself from its owner.   
  
But, if the earthquakes and things were going to get worse, Din could possibly prove to be a bigger threat than Ganondorf ever was. She was a Goddess, after all.   
  
--   
  
Link had gotten the idea rather quickly, and Sheik could see the weary bored look that came from standing watch evaporate with his words. The seriousness of the situation hadn't even completely sunk in, not with either of them, it seemed.   
  
Yes. Ganondorf. The Dark Lord. He barely managed to suppress a shudder as to what his return would mean to Hyrule. He felt sick to his stomach, thinking of the seven years where Ganondorf had actually had control.   
  
"No... not we..." His words had been incorrect, he knew Din had said nothing of anyone else. It may have even been a mistake to say something to Link. But...he had been shaken up, and sharing the news seemed like a good idea at the time.   
  
"Not we... She didn't say anything about anyone else." /Just me./ He didn't look at Link.   
  
But what the hell was he supposed to do? Wander into the palace and ask the now-queen Zelda to release Ganondorf? To undo everything so many had died for, everything Link himself had suffered for, the peace everyone in Hyrule now enjoyed?   
  
Well, that was a lie anyway. With the earthquakes, tidal waves, volcano eruptions, and who knew what else, peace wasn't exactly what Hyrule was experiencing right then.   
  
How was /he/ supposed to decide what would be best for Hyrule? Who was /he/ to decide?   
  
He studied the wall intently, even as the fire gave a final flicker and died into a few glowing embers, now their only light. He was suddenly very cold, almost like all the heat had been sucked out of him when the fire died.   
  
--   
  
No, what Sheik was saying Link just couldn't accept. "Well, you're not doing it on your own," he murmured, then going from kneeling to just sitting down. "I was the one that sealed away Ganondorf, and with him, the Triforce. If anyone should have to worry about it, it's me." Then again, he hadn't asked to be the Hero of Time. He hadn't asked to be the one to seal Ganondorf. Everyone had just sort of told him that was what he had to do. But Link didn't mind. Where would he have been now if he hadn't been chosen as the Hero of Time? Not anywhere he would have liked to be, he was sure.   
  
"I'm doing this with you," he said sternly, and it didn't seem like the topic was up for discussion. "I'm not really sure what we can do, though..." He put his hand to his mouth, something he usually did when he was nervous but trying to act like he wasn't. Once again, Link was rather lacking in the entire emotions department.   
  
He let out a soft, "Tch," as he watched the fire die, and felt like cursing Din for not letting him use magic. I mean, they had to get Her stupid Triforce back for Her -- the least She could do was let him use Her magic. He let out a grumbling sigh and closed his eyes. Things did not seem to be going well for the two.   
  
I mean, who was going to listen to them when they wanted to bring back Ganondorf...?   
  
But still. "Do you think... we can somehow take the Triforce and not unseal Ganondorf himself?" he asked Sheik. It seemed Link had already decided he was a part of this, no matter what Sheik thought.   
  
--   
  
Not unseal Ganondorf.. but still take the Triforce? Sheik might have simply dismissed the question to innocence if he hadn't known better. But if there was a way...   
  
..he had no idea.   
  
"I don't even really know if there's a way to take it from him anymore," he admitted quietly. "The reason he had to be sealed was because it was nearly impossible to kill him while he still held the Triforce of Power. You saw that first hand. ...if there was a way to take it from him easily, he would not have it anymore."   
  
It all seemed rather hopeless to the young Sheikah. He knew Din's wrath would only worsen with time, and the natural disasters would be worse and such, but he couldn't help but wonder if even that wouldn't be better than living with the Dark Lord in control again. The brief peace in Hyrule did not deter his memories of the horror and pain of living under such an evil.   
  
"No... there can't be anything worse than living under him.. we can't let him out." It wasn't an answer, he knew, but until something else revealed itself, maybe he could just put this off--   
  
He gasped suddenly as a flash of pain shot through him, clasping one had reflexively against his chest as it dulled slightly, and leaning forward slightly. What the--   
  
//"You /will/ obey Me, Sheikah."//   
  
Din's voice. Well, fuck.   
  
Another flash of pain, this one worse, feeling as though She had literally grabbed him, and he barely suppressed a groan as he doubled forward. "Okay, okay..," he hissed, knowing he was probably looking pretty stupid, talking to nothing, but he didn't care. "I just wanted to figure out a way to do this without getting us all killed..."   
  
//"You are dispensable."//   
  
/I know.../   
  
Still, She released Her grasp, and he collapsed, breathing hard against the cold stone.   
  
--   
  
This was tricky. Didn't there have to be a way to take it from him? I mean, would Din really give them a task that wasn't possible...? Was She that angry, that She didn't consider that they couldn't do it? Then again, Link and Sheik made a formidable team, and Link had done things that people would have never believed possible. What they might be able to accomplish, even Link couldn't imagine at this point.   
  
"You never know, though..." he mused, trying to be at least somewhat optimistic. He was far too excited about this already. Almost sadistic, the kid was. But Sheik said no, they couldn't bring Ganondorf back. Link hadn't really been there to see all of his wrath upon Hyrule, had been asleep for most of that time. He didn't know what they had been put through, but had only viewed the aftermath. He knew he had missed a lot, and thus couldn't judge as well as Sheik could. Maybe he should just listen to him -- I mean, when it really came down to it, this was Sheik's job. It had been given to him by Din, not to Link. Maybe he was just butting in, making it worse than it already was.   
  
Sigh.   
  
He didn't have much time to dwell on it, though, because the next thing he knew Sheik was... in some sort of pain. He couldn't exactly tell what was wrong. "Din?!" God DAMMIT, why was She leaving him out of this? He needed to know what was going on. It was frustrating.   
  
"Sheik!" he yelped, sliding over and trying to help him. He wasn't really sure... what to do, though. He helped him into a sitting position, and then leaned him against the cave wall. "Breathe," he ordered. "Just breathe..."   
  
--   
  
It took Sheik a moment to get his bearings, even as Link helped him back up into a sitting position against the cave's wall. He remained there for a moment, eyes closed lightly and his breathing still ragged, even as the last etches of pain subsided from his chest.   
  
Slowly, with Link's urging, his breathing evened out and his heart rate slowed. Hand still lingering at his chest, he coughed a few times before sighing. "I'm...I'm all right..." His hands were shaking, but he ignored them.   
  
His mind was still racing as their options slowly ran out. He couldn't let Ganon free, not even if he wanted to. But he had to get the Triforce of Power back... the thought that he may be tortured to death wasn't as unappealing to him as someone else suffering the same fate. Though being tortured to death wasn't high on his list of things to do. In fact, it was rather high up on the list of things to avoid.   
  
"I...don't know what to do..."   
  
He felt horrible admitting such a thing, even to someone he felt he could trust. Truthfully, he didn't trust Link very far... but Link was probably the person he trusted most.   
  
He felt, though, a little like he was letting down his people somehow by not knowing where he was supposed to go from here. The Sheikahs willingly lived and died for the royal family of Hyrule, no matter what the cost. If Ganon got out, the first two people he would go after were Zelda, the woman he lived to protect, and Link, the only person he ever trusted. It went against everything the Sheikahs stood for.   
  
But what if Din went after Zelda next? Or Link? What would his death have been for then? Even if he had died believing he had protected his queen, there was always that option that he could be saving her by living. If Din decided she tired of this game....   
  
He closed his eyes again.   
  
--   
  
At least Sheik was all right. Link had been a bit scared of just what Din had done to him. After all, She could kill him if She really wanted. Her powers, though respected and appreciated when done for good, could just as easily turn bad and treacherous if She was angered. And She /was/ angry, that was for sure. But She hadn't done anything too bad... yet. Sheik was all right, and that was what mattered. After all, Sheik was one of the only people he felt somewhat normal around... he didn't want anything happening to him.   
  
It seemed wrong -- for Sheik not to know what to do. He had always been his guide during his quest for the six medallions. To hear that he was just as clueless as Link himself was just... it didn't make sense to Link, he didn't understand it. But Sheik was only human. Not as perfect as Link had initially believed him to be. "Neither do I," he whispered.   
  
Why? Why did She have to pick on Sheik? Put Sheik through this? Why did She ask him? She could have asked anyone else. She could have asked Link. Or... someone. Just... why Sheik? Link wasn't sure why this upset him so much... maybe because he was seeing firsthand what it was doing to the Sheikah, having this task dumped on him. Not to mention She was out to hurt him if he failed.   
  
"... how did Ganondorf plan to take the Triforce from me and Zelda?" That had been his plan, right? That meant there had to be a way to take the Triforce from another, didn't it?   
  
--   
  
Link brought up a very good point with his inquiry. It was a little disheartening to hear the man who defeated Ganondorf ask such questions, but it wasn't as big of a deal when Sheik realized that he didn't know either. He briefly wondered if even Ganondorf had known exactly what he was going to do.   
  
Then it hit him.   
  
"He was going to kill you.. both of you." It seemed so obvious now. "I don't know if that would even work, or if the Triforces would find new holders, but that's what he intended to try."   
  
But...to kill Ganondorf was a lot harder than it seemed. He had been wounded badly and even buried underneath the ruins of his own castle, and yet he had managed to come back with so much power... so much hatred... he was using the Triforce of Power to maintain that. He'd harnessed that power to sustain his life.   
  
To kill Ganondorf would take more than the two of them. They'd need an army, almost. And who in the name of the Triforce was going to listen to them? To him? To Link, the one who saved everyone, sure.. but he was the one hearing voices and seeing Goddesses. He, a fallen of a race that no one was really supposed to know actually existed outside of legend.   
  
It still seemed rather hopeless.   
  
--   
  
Well, that sort of made sense. It seemed like something Ganondorf would come up with, after all. "I don't know, though... wouldn't it just go to the next worthy person to hold that particular Triforce? Or... maybe for some reason, when you kill a holder of the Triforce, you earn the Triforce they possessed?" It was possible. Ganondorf knew quite a bit, more than Link did, anyways, and if there was such a thing, he would be the one to know about it.   
  
"Even if it doesn't work that way, the Triforce has to go to the next most powerful person. If we're lucky, it'll go to someone that /isn't/ hell-bent on destroying the world."   
  
He saw the worry clouding the Sheikah's face. Yes, to try and kill Ganondorf didn't seem like it would be a walk in the park. Especially when he was in his Ganon form. But... the only reason that he had even obtained that form, not died when Link had killed him the first time... "It's because of his hatred for me," he breathed. Yes, that was what made him so powerful, so hard to kill. He hated Link, despised him.   
  
Link grimaced. This was going to be hard to deal with.   
  
--   
  
"I don't know exactly what would happen to it.. the Dark Lord seemed to think he could get yours just by killing you..."   
  
And he may have had access to some sort of information that they did not, some myth or legend that they'd missed along the way that explained that sort of thing. Or perhaps it was just a guess.   
  
"...but it doesn't matter so much, as long as it is in Hyrule, right?"   
  
Unsealing and killing Ganondorf was beginning to seem like the only way out of this. He knew that what he was hearing and seeing was real, and he was certain Link believed him as well, but he wasn't sure what anyone else would think.   
  
Link's quiet admission pierced the air, cutting through his thoughts and jolting him back into reality. He turned toward Link, blinking a little bit at the comment. Was the other trying to take the blame for this?   
  
"Link... this isn't your fault.."   
  
--   
  
"Right. We just have to get it away from /him/." Ganondorf just had to make this all so complicated. It really got on Link's nerves. There always had to be someone that had to cause problems for those that just wanted some peace. But... was that really what Link wanted? I mean, his job had been to fight the danger. With peace, came boredom. He just got lost, didn't have anything to do. So maybe, in a way, as bad as it sounded, this was a good thing... for Link.   
  
He bit on his lip at Sheik's reassurance. "I don't know. I mean... he would have died if he hadn't /hated/ me so much. And... if I'm around, won't he just turn into Ganon again?" It was possible. Maybe he did have to sit this one out, maybe he couldn't afford to be around. But only /he/ could wield the Master Sword. He had to be there. They had to kill him, even if he was in his Ganon form. He wasn't sure, but they had to do it. Somehow.   
  
--   
  
In a fit of uncharacteristic affection, Sheik found himself placing a hand gently on Link's shoulder and leveled his gaze directly at Link, no longer avoiding eye contact. "I'm not saying that you are /not/ the cause of the Dark One's hatred. Because that would be a lie. But.. he hates Lady Zelda at least as much as he hates you. And the sages.   
  
"Regardless of that, you had no way of foreseeing this. I don't blame you, and no one else does either. Only you."   
  
As he sat that way, intently matching Link's blue eyed gaze with his crimson one, hand resting on Link's shoulder.. it felt so foreign and almost invading for him, but he knew that Link probably needed this, needed physical contact. He'd place aside his own insecurities, ignore the rapid beating of his heart..   
  
//...a small boy, his clothes a bit too large, face no older than twelve years at most.. he follows the small group into the chamber which leads to the sleeping Hero. He is surprised to see the Hero is no older than he.. maybe even younger. He smiles to himself, noting the way the sanctuary light falls on his face and lingers behind the group, communing between themselves in hushed whispers..   
  
..a small hand reaches out.. touches the sleeping Hero's face...//   
  
Sheik had to look away quickly, before Link could see the wistfulness he knew was in his eyes.   
  
--   
  
Link had always been scared to have any sort of physical contact with Sheik, but it was because he had always thought he hadn't wanted it. No matter what, Sheik usually kept his distance, and if Link got too close, he sort of flinched away. So he wanted to respect those feelings, and just tried to stay away. Therefore, when Sheik made contact with /him/ it was just... odd. More confused than ever, he just sort of stared blankly at the hand that was placed on his shoulder and tried to stop his stomach from doing flip-flops.   
  
"...but I was the one that caused him to be sealed. If I wasn't there, he could have continued to rule over Hyrule. I was the biggest dent in his plan. He may hate the others, but... he hates me more. I know... I saw it in his... eyes. Heard it in his voice." The memories of that final battle were still vivid. He had been rather close to death on certain occasions, and if it hadn't been for quick thinking, he would have died. He really thought it had all been pure luck, even if others called it his skill.   
  
It was nice... the hand there, if a little strange, just because it was Sheik, and Sheik didn't do things like that. But... it was so reassuring. It let him know that... that at least someone in Hyrule didn't just see him as a tool, someone handy that came along and was good enough to help everyone.   
  
"Thank you, Sheik..." he whispered, not even sure if he could hear. Mostly because he wasn't quite sure what he was thanking him for. I guess for seeing him for who he was, not as the Hero of Time. He didn't want people referring to him as such any more. It just made him feel more bitter. Was that all he was to everyone? How about himself, as a person? Or was that not even worth taking into account?   
  
--   
  
Sheikahs had trained senses that could pick up sounds and sights normal Hylians could not. So when Link whispered his thank you, Sheik heard it. And even though he himself wasn't exactly sure what he was being thanked for, the words were enough to send his senses spiraling out of control.   
  
The words sent his heart about leaping out of his chest, it was beating so hard, and he could feel himself trembling. He tried to remove his hand as casually as possible, but knew it was probably more of a forced thing than he would have liked. He had to look away as he did so, if only for a moment.   
  
"I...I'm going to.. get some air for a moment..."   
  
The words had not lost their calm finish, though it was cracking slightly, and he was grateful for retaining that much of his facade. Quickly, he pulled away, exciting the cave and letting the cold breeze ruffle his blond hair as he tried to slow his heart. It wasn't easy. Leaning against one of the rocks, he slid into a sitting position and rested his forehead on his hands.   
  
"What the hell was I thinking? I can't...do this.." His voice was a choked whisper, and he buried his fingers in his hair.   
  
--   
  
At first Link thought that maybe it was something he had done, said, that made Sheik suddenly stand up and leave, but he figured it was probably just the aftermath of Din's earlier attack, and left it at that. Not to mention that thank you was sort of out of the blue, and maybe it weirded Sheik out a little. Geez, he was a dork. It probably wasn't /normal/ to just say thank you randomly. Of course he was going to get a strange reaction.   
  
He figured it was probably his best bet to just leave Sheik alone, then, and inched closer to the fire that was pretty much dead by now. At least he was finally dry, and the cold wasn't as much of a hindrance. Still, whenever he let out a sigh, his breath was visible, and his cheeks were slightly reddened, it was so cold. There may have been some other reason for it, but Link didn't really know what blushing is. When his cheeks got hot randomly, he was just confused and he would feel too stupid /asking/ someone about something like that.   
  
Missing seven years... your teenage years, no less... did some weird things to you.   
  
His eyes trailed to the cave's mouth with a frown... he hoped Sheik was all right...   
  
--   
  
Sheik had mostly pulled himself back together after a long moment, but how close he had come to losing it in the cave haunted him and he found the outside to be preferable for now. It had been so foolish of him to think he could look into those blue eyes, touch his shoulder.. listen to his voice...   
  
/Stop./   
  
He tried to press the thoughts out of his head. Everything he wanted, all of this.. it was immoral. Wrong. He wasn't allowed to fall in love, and Link probably not even interested. If he was, he certainly was good at hiding it... unlike Sheik.   
  
What was he thinking? Link would probably hate him if he knew how long Sheik had longed even to look at him, to touch him.. things so foreign to the Sheikah people. It was irrational and stupid and ... completely unstoppable. Heaven knew he'd tried to ignore the feeling he got in his stomach every time he saw Link...   
  
...it just didn't work that way. It didn't lessen over time. It should have. He would have given anything to give up this feeling. Even if he had what he desired, it was still /wrong/ for him to have it.   
  
"Stop it.. just please.."   
  
He wasn't trying to speak out loud, and the sound of his own voice startled him a bit, but he settled back into his thinking, palms still against his forehead and fingers strung through his hair.   
  
--   
  
Having finally been given company besides his faithful steed, it felt wrong for Link to be alone all of a sudden. And so when he was pressed towards the dying fire, arms circled about his legs, it seemed wrong -- he had only been with him for a short while and it already felt strange to have him not near, not to be able to see him.   
  
It was so strange.   
  
Maybe Link just latched onto people like that. Still, he needed to learn to get over this quick, because he didn't know if Sheik would always be there. He could be gone right now, have decided he wanted to leave, couldn't deal with Link anymore, and just disappeared. /Don't get too used to it... you never know when he might decide he's tired of you.../ he reminded himself.   
  
Half of him wanted to go out there and see him, but he knew he was being far too clingy -- he was acting like a little kid, couldn't spend a second alone. It was just... now that he finally had company, he was cherishing it. He just sighed gruffly and stared at the cold ground.   
  
--   
  
Link was going to think Sheik upped and ran off if he didn't go back to the cave in a minute. He'd done so a few times already (against his better judgment.. he was only following orders), and it wouldn't be good to make Link worry too much. Besides, it was about time Link got some sleep. He could feel guilty watching for some sort of trouble or something.   
  
Pulling himself together again, he headed back toward the mouth of the cave, ducking in and sitting near the entrance. He found it hard to look at Link now, the question in his eyes (eyes he had wondered for six years as to what color they were), blond hair shining in the pale moonlight (hair that he had trimmed with his own dagger).. Everything was evoking emotion in him tonight, emotion he'd been working his entire life to suppress.   
  
His palms were damp with a cold sweat and he pressed them together in front of himself, and then against his legs. Anything not to look up at his companion. "You get some sleep," he heard himself say absently. "I have second watch, and it's past time I start anyway."   
  
He turned back toward the entrance of the cave without waiting for a reply.. with the voice he had only heard murmuring for six years...   
  
--   
  
Well, Sheik hadn't ditched him. Link was almost surprised, though he was also relieved to see he had decided to stay. He smiled brightly as he walked back in, but Sheik just seemed... off. Like his usual self, actually, void of the affection he had had earlier. Well, Link wasn't even entirely sure what affection was, but he knew that when Sheik had it, it made him feel warm inside, and it also caused his stomach to squirm.   
  
He canted his head to the side at his returned stern personality, but he wasn't going to argue. There was no reason, and... well, sleep didn't sound like such a bad idea. "All right," he said in confirmation, and then stumbled over to the corner of the cave to get some sleep, the fire not being any sort of aide for warmth anymore.   
  
He wanted to say thank you again, but he realized that was probably not a good idea...   
  
--   
  
Sheik watched out the cave's entrance for hours.. thinking, frowning, sighing.. even coming close to tears at one point when he found himself watching Link's sleeping form... but he put that all away inside of himself at the first hints of dawn. He had gotten good at hiding things away deep inside of himself, and keeping them there until they overflowed.. like they had done during the night.   
  
He couldn't bring himself to watch the sun come up, so close to where Death Mountain still raged with eruptions and fire. So instead he watched the western sky lighten, as the cave opened north.   
  
And once it was light out, he swallowed tightly and looked back at the sleeping Hylian.   
  
He'd be all right today. He'd gotten too close yesterday.. it didn't have to happen again. He'd been careless. Now he wouldn't be.   
  
"Link...? It's morning."   
  
--   
  
Link had fallen asleep rather quickly, and his dreams had been dungeon-filled. He had spent so much of his time dungeon-crawling that his subconscious seemed to be filled with them a lot of the time. In one of the dreams he ended up having to fight a humongous Flaming Keese; that had not been fun, mostly because he abhorred the bats with a passion.   
  
He had actually woken up with a start from that one, but he was so tired that he had just dozed off after that. The other he couldn't really remember, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with the Water Temple, and that could only be bad. And he got the inkling feeling that Sheik was also in that one for some reason.   
  
Speaking of Sheik...   
  
"Murr... must get... Fire Arrows... stupid..." He tossed and turned slightly, trying to get away from Sheik's prying voice that was attempting to wake him up. Yeah, Link wasn't so good in the mornings...   
  
--   
  
Sheik glanced at Link's sleeping figure as he rolled away from the Sheikah. He felt a wave of cynical amusement wash over him as the Hylian murmured something about fire arrows and went back to sleep.   
  
The amusement dried up rather quickly, though, when he realized it was going to take more than his voice to wake the other up. Sighing to himself, he crawled over and gently shook Link's shoulder.   
  
"Hey.. come on. Wake up."   
  
It was.. hard to touch him, after the events of the night prior. He felt the wounds were too fresh, the scabs too thin. Well.. if Link didn't wake up from this, he would just let him sleep.   
  
--   
  
Okay, just aim, there we go, perfect! And the arrow was sent flying... right at Sheik. WAIT. That was a Keese a second ago. "No!" Link yelped, running towards the Sheikah in his dream. Then he realized what he had said. Wake up. That had to mean...   
  
"Urgh..." Yep, he had been asleep. He blinked his eyes open, rubbing at them to dispense of the sleeping dust rather childishly, and then slowly sat up, grimacing at the horrible morning taste in his mouth. His eyes widened to see Sheik was right there. "Y-you're still here?" he asked meekly. He had been sure he would have left while he was sleeping. He must have sounded pretty stupid and infantile asking it, too.   
  
Geez. That dream had been scary, the remnants of it still swimming in his head. The thought of him bringing harm to Sheik... or any harm caused to him by anyone else... just scared him. He had never seen Sheik hurt, except for that one time, thanks to Din... and he didn't want to see that again.   
  
Link, on the other hand, hurt himself all the time, whether it was because of a monster or his own clumsiness.   
  
He leaned back just a bit to stretch out his back, though he had forgotten he had been close to the cave wall, thus hitting his head against it. "Oww," he whined. Yeah, when he did stuff like that. He leaned back forward, squeaking in pain as he brought a hand to the injured part of his head and rubbed it vigorously.   
  
--   
  
Sheik had practically jumped back a few feet when Link had shown promise of being awake. He watched almost coyly as Link stretched and yawned, trying not to actually watch him and trying not to look like he was avoiding eye contact either. It was hard to hide things now, much harder now that he didn't have his face scarf. Somehow Link being without his hat didn't really make him feel better.   
  
He nodded slightly as Link seemed surprised he was still there, feeling a twinge of guilt for being so unreliable, and winced in sympathy when Link knocked his head against the wall. Eh..   
  
He glanced over at the entrance to the cave, nodding towards it, letting his intentions be clear. Still, he added uselessly, "We should.. get going. Towards the castle, I suppose.." He still wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he was less looking forward to another meeting with Din.   
  
"We can look for some breakfast on the way," he murmured, still not looking at Link.   
  
--   
  
The castle. How fun. Link remembered when he had to sneak in there seven years ago. The guards still didn't like him much, for whatever reason, though now they bit their tongue. Just because he had saved Hyrule. Okay, maybe that was a good reason, but still. He wished people would just treat him how they wished and forget that he was even the Hero of Time. That was over and done with now. If they didn't like him, they may as well act like it. Then he could know who NOT to save if Hyrule was ever attacked again.   
  
But no, he wasn't that mean. In fact, Link was too nice. And naive. The mention of food made him more willing to go to the castle. Still, he didn't really want to have to see Zelda... or anyone, really... He just couldn't connect with anyone. The only person he really felt somewhat safe around was, well, Sheik.   
  
"Okay," he said, pushing himself to his feet and hearing his bones crack in a few places. A cave floor wasn't the most comfortable bed, after all. He walked out into the bright sun, it still being nice and clear, even though the land was on the brink of being destroyed by the most fearsome Goddess of the three. It was hard to think about that, on such a nice day... he just wished he could forget.   
  
And he could, if he wanted. He hadn't been asked to help at all. But no -- that just went against everything he lived for.   
  
-----  
  
Author's Notes  
  
Court: And here you see the beginnings of Sheik's serious pining over Link. There is a reason that's our pen name for this account, after all. XD Good Lord. And Link is too much of an idiot to notice. Yes, I do insult my characters, thank you very much.   
  
Rydia: Ugh, and so begins the angst fest that is Sheik. >_>; Now that we're done writing the story, I look back at these old sessions and cringe. @_@; Sheik needs a sticker on his forehead that says I HAVE ISSUES.  
Addendum: I REALLY LOVE HOW FF.NET JUST MADE ME REUPLOAD ALL MY CHAPTERS BECAUSE IT SUCKS AND IT HATES ME :D I'M SO HAPPY I COULD CRY! Erm.. the section breaks should be a little easier to see now. >_  
--  
  
Stay tuned for Chapter 4 : In which Link and Sheik visit Lon Lon Ranch! 


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Deus ex Machina  
Author: Court ( burningvigor@aol.com ) as Link, Rydia ( chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com ) as Sheik and about everyone else  
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is not ours. The characters are not ours. The setting is not ours. We borrowed it to have some fun. We interpreted it in our own way. We make no money off of this so you can't sue us. Neither of us have any money anyway.  
Summary: In the year following Ganondorf's defeat, a tentative peace has settled over Hyrule. Now the Goddesses are demanding one more thing from the Hero of Time, but at what cost?  
Warning: AU (Sheik and Zelda are different people, and Navi was killed at the end of OoT since no one likes her anyway). Shounen ai/yaoi (YES that means there are GAY PEOPLE OMG NUU :P), Link/Sheik.  
  
**Important Note:** This entire fanfic has been written in role-play format. That means that there are sections. Court writes one, then Rydia writes one, and so on and so forth. Things are REPEATED. Why? Because when we started, we didn't intend for this to be a fanfic. Now that we're finishing it, we love it to pieces and want to share it with the world. So. All the Link sections were written by Court, and all the Sheik sections were written by Rydia. And Rydia made the chapter titles because she's weird.  
  
--  
  
**Chapter 4**  
_In which Link and Sheik visit Lon Lon Ranch_   
  
--  
  
_Caught in a winter's rain   
I can't remember a word you said  
Take away my fear please hold onto me   
I'm falling_  
  
Cold "Black Sunday"   
  
--  
  
An hour later, they had started their journey towards the castle. Sheik had opted not to ride Epona, even though they'd make much better time with her.. He was trying to avoid any feelings he still could feel, and having Link shoved up against his back was not the ideal way to do so. He had made up some excuse about tiring the horse and, despite Link's assurances that she'd be fine, he was walking across Hyrule field.   
  
Link had shrugged and opted to walk with him, leaving the horse to graze idly on such a fine day. He seemed certain this was fine, that the horse knew where to go if it needed something, so Sheik didn't question it.   
  
The sun was creeping up to the nine o'clock hour and he could see the top of Lon Lon Ranch peeking over the horizon. It was a long walk, of which the ranch was only the halfway point. It would serve as a nice place to rest on the way, though.. they could go in and enjoy fresh milk and possibly rest there for a while before heading out.   
  
He was rather unable to keep much conversation going, as his mind was wandering back and forth from what they were going to actually /tell/ the queen about unsealing Ganondorf, and who was actually going to believe them... back to the events of the night previous. He hated dwelling on it, but he really couldn't help it.   
  
--   
  
Link mindlessly twirled the blue-colored ocarina between the fingers of his left hand as he walked, whistling some random tune to himself as well. He couldn't help it; he was always far too cheerful for his own good, and even if the world was on the brink of destruction, he couldn't help being chipper on such a nice day.   
  
The little tiff about the horse was a bit weird, but Link figured it was probably best to give Epona a rest anyways. He worked her far too hard sometimes, and she wasn't exactly necessary at the moment. Still, Sheik seemed awful... strange. Awkward, he thought was the proper word to the describe it. Then again, Sheik was always acting sort of... off. Maybe that was just how he was. He didn't think there was much point worrying over it.   
  
Lon Lon Ranch... that place had a lot of memories. Where he had gotten Epona, the infamous Lon Lon milk that he still loved and drank whenever he had some (winning that cow had been pretty handy, too, even if it was in the Kokiri forest. He hoped they were taking good care of it.)   
  
"Are we gonna stop?" he asked quietly, feeling sort of bad about disturbing Sheik from whatever he was thinking about. He seemed so contemplative, even quieter than usual.   
  
--   
  
Link had to have noticed Sheik's quieter than usual--even for him--demeanor. He was fairly certain that Link had, and just wasn't saying anything about it. Either because he was just nice like that, or because he didn't want to make the entire walk awkward. Well, what did it matter? Sheik was doing a fine job of the latter all by himself.   
  
He felt a bit guilty, but simply allowed Link to believe it had something to do with exactly what they were heading to Hyrule castle to do. Because that certainly was part of it. He was still dwelling needlessly (in his opinion anyway) on how close he'd come to breaking the silent pact he'd made with himself all those months back in just one night.   
  
Being near Link had always been something of a treat for him, even if it was just a bit of a thrill when those blue eyes focused on him. But now.. it seemed like almost a bad thing. He'd seen how close he'd come to completely losing it in front of Link and if Link found out...   
  
A sharp pang of quiet sorrow shot through him. He hated being alone.   
  
Well, whatever. Emotions were for hiding away under the surface, away from where others could see and use it as a weapon against him. It'd already been done, and he wasn't going to let it happen again.   
  
Link's quiet question did indeed jolt him out of his silent contemplation, and he blinked for a moment before realizing that Link was talking about the looming Lon Lon Ranch. It was still a little ways off, but they'd likely reach it within the hour--they were making good time.   
  
He shrugged nonchalantly. "If you want."   
  
--   
  
Link had been riding Epona for so long that just walking across the Hyrule Field was strange for him -- he wasn't used to it. He didn't remember just how long it could take, how much faster it was when he was on the horse, and the fact that Lon Lon Ranch was still an hour walk away was just sort of disappointing. The way Sheik said it, though, his curt response, made it seem like Link was being a hindrance, asking to stop just because he was so familiar with the place. He could always go another time. /Well, maybe not... considering... well, what Din has been doing./   
  
But still. It wasn't the time for them to be doing such things. It was actually probably better if they just kept on their way towards the castle. And so he gave a quick toss of his head. "No... let's just keep going." He tried to sound more excited than disappointed. He didn't want Sheik to feel bad and then make them stop there.   
  
It was pretty boring, just walking on and on and not even having any conversation. There was a bit here and there, and he supposed it was better than nothing, and probably better than Navi, who pretty much talked his ear off the entire time. He just wished Sheik would talk a LITTLE more sometimes.   
  
Maybe he should try and make some conversation? He glanced over at the older one, and during this examination, almost tripped over a shrub. Well, now he would just be too embarrassed to do so.   
  
--   
  
Sheik had certainly not meant to sound as though he didn't want to stop. Because that was not the case. For one, he was rather dreading reaching their destination and having to face the queen again, the very one he'd managed to let get kidnapped. She did not hold him accountable for the incident, or if she did, didn't show it, but there would inevitably be other Sheikahs with her. And they would be less than happy about the news he had.   
  
Not that anyone was particularly /happy/ about it, but still.   
  
He hadn't been to Lon Lon Ranch in years, really, since training when he was younger, and even then, they hadn't ever stayed very long. It had always been a bit of a comfort for him to be there, though. The quiet atmosphere, the calm aura.. it made things seem a little better than they were. It was the possibility of losing such places that helped him to fight.   
  
So when Link shook his head and negated the proposal, he was slightly disappointed. It only took him a moment to realize that the change of heart was likely at his own nonchalance, however.. but the damage might already be done. If Link thought he was offering to go because /Link/ wanted to stop, there was no way he'd be stopping. Sheik knew well enough about how Link's mind worked.   
  
It was still worth a try.   
  
"It's all right. I wouldn't mind stopping there."   
  
He noted Link turning to watch him and pretended he missed the shrub Link nearly tripped over, but kept his sight forward. He knew it was probably rude for him not to be talking or keeping conversation, but he'd never been very good at it anyway.. and he was much more comfortable with the silence.   
  
--   
  
No, it wasn't going to work. Link, of all things, probably hated being a burden most. Especially to someone he so admired, someone he looked up to, believed to be so much better than him, more knowledgeable, and probably stronger, though he had actually never seen the Sheikah draw a weapon and fight. He would love to see such a thing, however, would feel almost privileged by it.   
  
So when he felt like Sheik was taking precious time out of their journey just for /his/ sake. No, he would have none of it. He shook his head rather adamantly in refusal, doing his best not to seem childish as he worked his way around this. "We really should be getting to the castle. We can't waste time hanging around a ranch when Hyrule itself is in danger." He sounded way too serious to not be acting. Link was hardly ever serious -- like that, anyways -- even during times of crisis.   
  
So Sheik would probably realize this and keep on pressing at it. Link was aware of this, and it was pretty obvious that they just might be fighting back and forth over whether or not to stop at a stupid ranch. Hopeless, really. It was a never ending cycle, both too nice for their own good.   
  
They'd probably debate over it until they ended up walking right past the ranch and the reaching of the castle. Well, Link didn't mind that -- that meant it went /his/ way.   
  
--   
  
In all reality, Link was a much better direct fighter than Sheik was. He was certainly trained for hand-to-hand combat, as the Sheikahs did not believe in leaving oneself vulnerable in any way, but his strong point was more his long range fighting skills. His weapon of choice was his throwing knives, and darkness. His eyes were sharp, even in the darkness, and he was adept at killing off targets before they even knew he was there.   
  
He naturally heard the serious tone of Link's voice, and knew exactly what was going on. But he had too much on his mind to really press the point further, and no matter how much he would have liked to stop, Link did have a good point about Hyrule being in danger.   
  
/Yes, you're the only one who can warn them of the danger they're in, and you want to go see the horsies first. Wonderful planning./   
  
He really hated that inner dialogue sometimes.   
  
He sighed, just slightly, still avoiding looking at the slightly taller man and focusing on the hills still ahead of them. "You're right," he said softly. "I guess I'm just not looking forward to arriving there."   
  
Well, that was random. He certainly hadn't /intended/ on sharing that much of his thoughts when he first opened his mouth to speak. Link was getting too close, too easy to talk to...   
  
...this could be bad.   
  
--   
  
It was rather surprising, that Sheik hadn't persisted when he had detected Link's horrible acting, but maybe he was just too tired after the previous night. It hadn't been a very fun day for either of them, and Link still found himself thinking about it when he started to daydream. And it was hard not to when they were just walking in silence...   
  
But he wasn't going to argue. All the better this way -- he had gotten what he wanted, right? Still, Sheik seemed rather out of it... Then again, he had been told by Din Herself that the world was on the verge of destruction yet /again/, and that he was the only one that could do anything about it. That definitely was enough to make someone feel out of sorts, and Link had to wonder why he wasn't as worried as he should have been.   
  
Then again, he had taken the fact that he was to be the Hero of Time and savior of Hyrule pretty well. This was hardly different, and this time he wasn't even supposed to play a major role.   
  
...and he hadn't expected Sheik to open up that much, either. Odd... one minute he was too secluded and weird, the next he was spilling his guts. Well, not exactly, but it could almost be considered such, with what little Sheik /ever/ said about himself. His feelings were as contained as Link's were blatantly exposed.   
  
He let out a soft sigh. "I know... I really find myself not enjoying Her Majesty's company a lot of the time. It's so... /awkward/. But... we have to do it, right?" Leave it to Link to always, /always/ see the glass half-full.   
  
--   
  
Seeing Her Majesty wasn't exactly what Sheik had been dreading.. it was more along the lines of those who would be accompanying her. After her kidnapping, the Sheikahs were not quite as hidden as they wished they could be. He'd have to replace his mask before entering the castle, or they would not even listen to him...   
  
He said nothing, though, fearing a little that he'd already said too much. Sharing his own feelings was something quite foreign to him.. the Sheikahs don't /deal/ with feelings, they put them away and don't use them. To have spent this much time with someone so open.. well, it was beginning to rub off, he supposed. He had already changed from who he had been in the few times they'd made contact during the war against Ganondorf.   
  
He supposed it made sense.. to change for the one he cared about.. but he didn't like to think about that. Caring was another emotion he didn't need to drag around with him. It was the Sheikah way /not/ to care about anything but the Royal Family. That way if someone.. anyone.. got in the way of the family's safety, they could be eliminated. He still remembered warnings from the Sacred Order.. even the Hero of Time himself was not to be excluded from this.   
  
Link added the slight optimistic ending, and he felt himself wince inwardly. There /had/ to be some way around this... they couldn't release Ganondorf.. surely Her Lady Din could understand that--   
  
He felt her presence almost immediately.   
  
//"So. It's not good enough to prove my wishes upon you, is it?"//   
  
He didn't have to wonder long what She meant by that.   
  
--   
  
Link really could have gone for some of that milk.   
  
But eh well. He had at least had somewhat of a breakfast, even if it could hardly be referred to as such, and he'd have to go on that until he could be fed something that actually looked edible. Maybe he'd get lucky and Zelda would decide that the Hero of Time deserved a feast -- just, out of the blue, spur of the moment. Yeah, right. That wasn't happening, especially considering the news they were bringing with them.   
  
When he felt his insides scorning at him in disgust at these thoughts, he just placed his hand over his middle and tried to calm it down as best he could. It wasn't working so well, and he hoped Sheik didn't look his way, though that wouldn't be much of a problem, considering he had been avoiding making eye contact with him the entire morning for whatever reason.   
  
He quickly forgot about his hunger, however. Because the very slight annoyance of his stomach was outweighed by the excruciating pain that was pelted upon him spontaneously. Or at least, spontaneous to him. Little did Link know what Sheik had been thinking, saying to Din.   
  
It was probably the most painful thing he had ever experienced. It was as if there were literally knives inside of him, racing through him and nipping at him, burning him, cutting him, /hurting/ him, in any way possible.   
  
It was so bad that he didn't even know how to explain it... He took in a deep breath, so sharp that it was hardly audible, and immediately collapsed to the ground, doubled over and clutching at his stomach, not because of his hunger, but because of Din's wrath. He whimpered and hissed in the pain, wincing his eyes as tightly closed as he could, fighting to stay awake, stay /alive/.   
  
But he lost it -- it was so bad that it eventually just knocked him out, and he slumped over onto his side in the sun-bathed plains, his green tunic fitting in with the fresh grass quite nicely.   
  
--   
  
//"Perhaps someone you...care about would be more convincing for you, Sheikah."//   
  
The icy feeling of dread creeping through Sheik was extinguished by a wave of complete and utter rage. It was something he had never really experienced before in this magnitude, and it might have been rather frightening for him if he had had the peace of mind to think of it. But naturally, he didn't.   
  
But even his burning rage couldn't quite shut down the logical part of his brain, something in his training kept him from being able to get rid of that voice of reason. Which was probably a good thing, but it wasn't really helping him calm down.   
  
Still, attacking a Goddess.. one that had no psychical form, even, made no sense. And when he heard Link's whimpering moan from aside him, he crumbled.   
  
The anger dissolved as quickly as it came, and he fell to his knees, understanding his wrong now.   
  
"Lady Din... forgive me... I didn't mean to go against you... please... I'll do whatever you say, just... stop... stop hurting... him..."   
  
Link's form was still in the grass. Could She have...? No...no, She wouldn't do that. She wouldn't go that far, would She? When She had attacked Sheik himself, he hadn't passed out. But Link...   
  
She was leaving now, he could feel Her moving away, somehow; it was like he had somehow gained some sort of connection with Her now, and could feel when She was near.. though She never really left.   
  
He was still on his knees, still pleading, and She left, knowing She'd made Her point. Still, he remained in his penitent position, and he'd remain that way.. until She was gone.   
  
"Please.. don't hurt him.. not him, please.."   
  
--   
  
Link was no longer aware of anything going on around him, having entirely delved into unconsciousness. It seemed that Din had wanted to make some sort of serious impression on him, because he had some strange dreams during his sleep mode, and it was all spurred on by his own subconscious. The Goddess hadn't had the time to plague him with visions, considering She was busy enough with Sheik. No, this dream was all his own doing...   
  
It was Sheik... and he was telling him something. Something about not getting involved, that he shouldn't bother with helping him, that he wanted to do it all on his own, that Link was just being a hindrance, tagging along as he was, that he should come to terms with the fact that his turn to shine was over when Ganondorf was sealed, and that it was now Sheik's turn to prove himself. It was hard to believe that Sheik would ever be so cruel, but it was so... /vivid/ that Link was absolutely convinced that it was reality, not a dream.   
  
But he was still in pain, even in his slumber, even in the dream, or nightmare, if you will. That was the one thing that made him doubt how real it was, but... maybe it was just Sheik's words cutting into him, maybe this was what betrayal felt like, he thought...   
  
It was such a blur... he was spinning, and hurting, and he wanted to throw up...   
  
--   
  
It was a bit before Sheik was completely convinced She would leave them alone for now, a bit before he could find it in himself to crawl over to Link's side. Once there, it took him a moment longer to even bring himself to check the other's pulse, deathly afraid he would find nothing at all. But finally, he managed to reach down and place two slender fingers on Link's neck. He nearly cried with relief when he found it.   
  
He rolled Link gently to his back, chewing on his lower lip and debating on what he should do. He was strong enough, but he knew he'd never make it anywhere carrying Link. He didn't know if Link was even going to wake up anytime soon, and if he didn't, he might not even be able to walk on his own. Sheik had to get him somewhere to rest...   
  
Completely unawares to Link's dreaming, Sheik silently debated with himself if he should get Link to safety and go on alone. It certainly would protect the other from Din's attacks.. or would it? She knew how Sheik felt now.. but if he wasn't /with/ Link, She may not bother with him.   
  
Well, he'd figure that out later. First he needed a way to get Link somewhere where he could recover.   
  
Glancing about, he didn't see anything he could really use to help him get Link anywhere. Just grass.. some plants.. a rock.. Link's ocarina that had fallen when he did...   
  
...wait. What about Epona?   
  
He picked up the ocarina and tried to remember the song that Link had always played to call the horse. It took him a few tries, but he managed to play it eventually. And when he heard the horse whinny, it was probably the best thing he'd heard all day.   
  
--   
  
The dream was slowly beginning to fade, and it was seeming more and more like a dream to Link, the pain in his chest from the 'betrayal' was slowly drifting away, and he fought to wake up, knowing that he needed to, that he shouldn't be asleep right now, that someone needed him to be awake, to let them know he was fine, he was... okay...   
  
He winced as the pain carried on right into reality from the dream world, still extremely severe, even if it wasn't as bad as when Din had originally assaulted him. He let out a moan because of it, but it was so half-hearted that it was more like a soft squeak than anything else. He slowly wrenched his eyes open and blinked owlishly up at the Sheikah, who was busy dealing with... Epona?   
  
Too much was going on, and his brain was so enraptured with the pain that he couldn't process all of it. "Whuuh...?" he gurgled in wonderment as he tried to piece it all together. It wasn't really working, however...   
  
--   
  
Link's soft squeak was enough to grab Sheik's attention away from the horse, who was nuzzling his hand as he tried to somehow prep her for riding. He hadn't really figured out how he was going to hoist Link up on to the horse in the first place, so when Link awakened, it was a great relief for him.   
  
Within a few seconds, he had knelt by Link's side, gently helping him to sit up, and trying to ignore the twinges of guilt welling up inside of him. This was all /his/ fault, after all.. if he hadn't thought.. if he didn't care about Link the way he did.. like he shouldn't...   
  
He mentally shook his head against the thoughts. There was nothing to be done about it now. He'd apologize later.. Link didn't look coherent enough to really understand what had just happened anyway.   
  
"...just relax for now," he murmured, more grateful than ever to see those shining blue eyes, even if they were blinking in confusion. "...how are you feeling?"   
  
--   
  
So far all Link had been able to recall was that he had been attacked by some unknown force that he couldn't remember, and he didn't know why he had been attacked, either. It had been very out of the blue... he had... been walking one minute, totally minding his own business, and had been on the ground the next. That was about all he could sift out of his jumbled head.   
  
Why Sheik had Epona there was still a mystery to him. The idea that he was unconscious a few seconds ago and would need Epona to transport him wasn't at all considered. But Sheik's voice, his words... they calmed him down a little, and he felt like... he didn't really need to know what had happened, that it wasn't even that important. The pain he was still feeling was trying to tell him otherwise, but he didn't have the strength to think about it all at the moment, anyways.   
  
So he did just that, relaxed, his posture visibly slouching as he released tensed muscles. It took a few moments before he could answer the question, since the words spoken were hard enough to register, he was so out of it. "Umm... it... hurts," he admitted. "But I think I'm... all right." He fell forward slightly, and found himself clinging to Sheik innocently. He didn't really know what he was doing, and was more like a confused little boy than he usually was.   
  
"Sheik, what's wrong...?"   
  
--   
  
Tentatively, Sheik put an arm around Link's shoulders to keep him upright. He'd been attacked by Din before, but it had been nothing compared to what she seemed to have done to Link. He'd been fine a few moments after She had stopped.. but Link still could barely move, and had even lost consciousness.   
  
/Because of me... if I hadn't... it's my fault.../   
  
He winced slightly, almost imperceptibly, at the thought. Seeing Link injured and confused like this on top of knowing it was his doing that had landed Link the attack that had rendered him like that.. it was hard for him. Well.. he'd at least do everything he could to keep Link safe and make sure he recovered.   
  
"...don't worry about it now. We should get somewhere you can rest.. that's why I called Epona. If you can get on her back, we can make it to Lon Lon Ranch within the hour.. maybe rent a room for you. Can you stand?"   
  
He decided perhaps Link wasn't quite awake enough to consider what he knew he had to say, so he decided to save it for later.   
  
--   
  
Sheik's arm there, keeping Link stable, was very much appreciated, because he was about ready to fall over still. That he had managed to wake up so quickly was probably just because of his own will, because he /knew/ he would be making things harder if he stayed conked out, but now the idea of going to sleep, resting, seemed very tempting...   
  
He blinked a few times to try and keep his eyes open, sleep trying its hardest to claim them from him. Ohh... that's why Epona was there. To help him. Well, that made sense, right? Epona was probably Link's closest companion... wait... but Sheik was there, too.   
  
Gosh, this was confusing.   
  
"Help? No, I'm okay... we... we have to get to the castle, can't stop. Lon Lon Ranch is a waste of time. We need to see... Zelda." Yeah, he was still pretty off. He was acting as if there was nothing wrong with him, like they were still on their way, healthy as could be, to the castle, and he had only wanted to stop at the ranch for his own pleasure. You could say, therefore, that he wasn't absorbing everything too well...   
  
The standing question he did get, though. It was a way to prove that he could keep going, and that was clear as day to him. He nodded at the Sheikah, but even that made his head swim, so he swayed back and forth for a second as he repelled the dizziness, and then picked himself up to his feet, clinging to Epona now to make sure he didn't fall over again.   
  
He smiled softly at Sheik. "See, I'm... fine..."   
  
--   
  
It was hard to watch Link struggle like that, just for Sheik's benefit. Even with Epona there to support him, Sheik could tell Link was anything but fine. He was leaning too heavily, his eyes too unfocused, and worst, he was still in pain. A flood of empathy washed through Sheik and he looked away a moment.   
  
But he looked back up a moment later, as Link declared his well-being. "Link, you're /not/ fine. You can barely stand up. Now let's get you to Lon Lon Ranch... I'll talk to Her Highness myself."   
  
/...and if you stay at the ranch, out of harm's way... it'll certainly make me feel better..../   
  
Link wasn't going to put up with being left behind and Sheik knew it. Still, Link's safety was foremost in the Sheikah's mind now, and he'd tie the other to the damned bed if it came down to that. And he'd set that girl at the ranch--Malon?--to keep him in bed until Sheik returned.   
  
/Returned?/ He hadn't even thought of coming back for Link after talking to Zelda. But he knew he certainly could use Link's help in the battle that would inevitably be coming in the near future. In fact, if they did have to unseal Ganondorf, Link may be the only one who could keep him in bay..   
  
It seemed that the role of the Hero of Time wasn't yet complete. Sheik felt a twinge of sympathy for the younger man. It wasn't as though he was ever given the choice to be a hero.   
  
--   
  
Yes, Link was trying to live a bit of a lie there, acting like everything was okay. His head was finally starting to clear up a bit, the pain that had muddled his thoughts so much beginning to ebb away just a tad; either that, or he was getting used to the pain, adjusting to it, something he had been forced to do before, considering his tasks as the Hero of Time were mainly focused around fighting, and with fighting, came pain. But still, this had been worse than anything else he had experienced before, and so he was grateful that he was starting to be capable of thinking straight yet again.   
  
And there was no arguing Sheik's point. It would have been suicide for him to try and function properly after that, even if he was feeling a bit better -- mentally. His body wasn't about ready to take that, and if he strained himself too much, he'd just end up collapsing again, and it might turn into something more serious. The Hero of Time was not expendable. He had to be careful. And so he gave a very slight nod, not wanting to cause his head to swim even more.   
  
"All right, all right... let's go, then..." He tried to hoist himself up onto his faithful (faithful? Yeah, right. This was the one that had refused to cooperate the day prior... then again, Epona knew when she had to be serious) stead, but it... wasn't working. He was a lot weaker than he had originally thought, and didn't even have the strength to pull himself up.   
  
He blinked childishly over at Sheik, as if he was ashamed of this. "Um..." he started meekly. "Could you... give me a hand?"   
  
--   
  
Sheik sighed again, inaudibly and to himself, at Link vainly trying to get on the horse's back. Link seemed to be gathering his thoughts a bit better now, that was good, and he even agreed to being taken to the ranch. But he couldn't get on the horse on his own, and Sheik helping him.. well, he knew what he was going to have to do to help.   
  
He wondered if he'd have his thoughts about him the entire rest of the day.   
  
Biting his lip slightly, he nodded and walked over beside the horse where Link was attempting to mount. "Here.. get your foot in the stirrup and I'll hoist you up from there.."   
  
Why did this have to be so embarrassing? As determined as he was not to let any of his chagrin show through, he could feel his cheeks heating up a bit as Link looked at him. He felt like a complete idiot, and Link probably (hopefully?) had absolutely no clue as to what was making him so jumpy. It was stupid. He wasn't supposed to /feel/ these things. Sheikahs don't feel..   
  
..don't feel...   
  
He sighed. He decided he was going to /lead/ the horse to the ranch.   
  
--   
  
Link didn't have the knowledge to explore what Sheik helping him up onto the horse would entail. He couldn't look that far because the idea that someone touching his backside wasn't part of his brain capacity. He had just never been told such things. So he didn't really understand why Sheik was acting so weird as he give him a hand up onto Epona, but just assumed it had to do with the fact that he had to go see the queen on his own now. He felt sort of bad that he couldn't accompany him anymore, but he had at least come to terms with the fact that it was unreasonable to try and push himself that much. It would just make things worse in the long run.   
  
So he put his foot into the stirrup, as ordered, and slowly but surely got himself onto the horse. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the horses neck, hardly having the energy to sit up straight in the saddle, instead having to resort to practically laying sprawled over the animal, head rested against the mare's long neck. "Okay... I'm ready..." he let Sheik know in a soft, weak, still shaky voice.   
  
It would have felt nice to just fall asleep right there, but he fought against the urge. Even though Sheik hadn't been talking to him for this entire trip so far, he wanted to make sure he was awake in case the Sheikah suddenly decided that he needed to tell him something, or just needed someone to talk to. It was unlikely, but Link didn't want to take any chances. After all, you never know... especially with someone like Sheik.   
  
--   
  
Well, Sheik had lived through it, and it hadn't been as bad as he'd feared--Link had managed to do most of the work himself, and he'd only had to give a quick push before Link clambered on to Epona's back, looking more weary than ever. Sheik felt a little bad about not helping more, but he really didn't trust himself to.   
  
"I'll lead her to the ranch," he responded to Link's weak affirmation, casting a sympathetic gaze at the Hylian on the horse and heading to the front of the horse to take the reigns. "Come on," he urged to the horse, tugging on her reigns. Fortunately, the horse seemed to be in a good mood, and followed him obediently.   
  
It was then that Sheik noticed that the winds were picking up. It had started as a beautiful morning, and it was still nice. But the winds were getting to the point where the trees were in a constant if slight lean away from the wind, and the Sheikah was just grateful that the wind was at their back and helping them a bit.   
  
They were making good time, even with Link half-draped across the horse (though Sheik wouldn't have left him on the horse alone if he had thought he would fall). But then, the larger the ranch loomed in the not-so far distance, the more the wind also increased. By the time they'd reached the outer gates, the wind had picked up so much that he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it to the castle that day anymore.   
  
He wondered slightly to himself if Din realized Her endless torments to Hyrule was only hindering Her own goal.   
  
--   
  
It didn't seem that Sheik was going to have any sort of change of heart as they continued to the ranch, and Link found himself almost a bit disappointed. A conversation with the Sheikah was always very appreciated, considering they were so rare, even if he was bordering on unconsciousness more and more with each second. He still fought to keep awake, feeling he owed his companion that much. Knowing his odd sleeping habits, he might end up slipping off the horse if he fell asleep, and that wouldn't be good for either of them. Besides, it would be quite a hassle to transport him from the horse to a bed in Lon Lon Ranch if he was asleep.   
  
The only reason he noticed the wind picking up was because it made it colder; he felt it stirring his hair and tunic and shivered against the bite it had. This wasn't good -- usually when a wind like this started up, it could only mean trouble. He pictured Sheik trying to get from the ranch to the castle if a storm, or something equally bad, hit, and felt horribly guilty. He wanted to express this to his comrade, but he didn't have the strength anymore. He just hoped that Sheik wasn't as bull-headed as Link himself could be and would realize that it probably wasn't a good idea to head for the castle in these conditions.   
  
Then again, Sheik didn't /want/ to go to the castle. He'd probably see this as a perfectly good reason to postpone the meeting with the queen and just stay at the ranch. At least, he hoped that was what he would do...   
  
The ranch was getting closer and closer -- thank the Goddesses (minus Din)... because he didn't know how much longer he could stay awake.   
  
--   
  
Sheik could be stubborn, but he wasn't stupid. On the one hand, he knew it was imperative to get to the castle as soon as he could. But on the other, he knew he'd do no one any good dead. He knew a bit about Din's wrath by this point, and he figured that this storm was no ordinary one. If Din was indeed behind it, it'd be far best to stay indoors until it blew over.   
  
Besides, there was that gnawing concern for Link's well being ever present at the back of his mind. It'd be nice to be able to stay...   
  
..but getting comfortable was out of the question as well. He now realized that remaining idle near Link was almost definitely a recipe for disaster. Perhaps there was extra work on the ranch to be done. He didn't exactly have a lot of ruppees on him to pay for boarding, so he'd be paying for their stay with his work. It was of no consequence to him.   
  
So at least he had an excuse to keep himself busy. He felt a bit guilty at the thought, though.   
  
Leading the horse through the gates, he caught a glimpse of a few figures leading bucking horses toward stables. The storm had come up quickly and ferociously, and it made sense that they'd need help with the horses..   
  
The thought remained unfinished as the bubbly redhead saw them and ran over to them. "Oh, Link! Epona!"--a glance at Sheik and a sheepish smile as she realized she didn't know this newcomer--"Come inside, quick! This storm came up so--good Goddesses, Link, what happened?!"   
  
--   
  
Link's vision was beginning to get blurry, his eyelids were starting to close more and more over his vision, and he practically had to force them open with his hands in order to stay awake. Thank God they were finally at the ranch. This meant he could soon sleep... that was all he wanted at this moment, pretty much all he could think about. Sweet, sweet slumber. Oh, it sounded so wonderful at the moment, just being able to rest, to give into his body's screams...   
  
He was close to dozing off right then and there, just thinking about it, and was grateful to Malon for yelling and therefore shocking him back into some form of a more awake state. He blinked his eyes open, for they had closed without him thinking about it, and he watched between shifting vision as she raced towards himself and Sheik. He managed a half-smile, all he could produce in his weakness, and would have liked to wave at her if he could have. He hoped he expressed his gratitude enough in just that smile. "Hello..." he made himself speak, tone hushed so that she would have been forced to strain in order to hear him. "Sheik... will tell you..." he murmured in his delirious manner, and then began to slowly slip off of the horse, setting weak feet that were threatening to give out onto the ranch's hay-covered grounds, clinging to Epona for dear life so that he wouldn't fall over. He gave both Malon and Sheik pleading looks, no longer possessing the energy to speak, and just prayed that they knew he needed a /bed/ now.   
  
--   
  
Malon let out a surprised little yelp as Link nearly fell over after getting off the horse, and Sheik quickly moved to his side, sliding an arm around Link's waist and pulling one of the hero's arms over his shoulder so he was supporting the other man. Giving a meaningful look at the girl, he said, "He needs to rest.. I'll work to pay for boarding.. is there somewhere..?"   
  
She caught on immediately, for which Sheik (and probably Link as well) was grateful. "Get him into that building there"--she pointed towards the closest--"while I get Epona into a stable, and then I'll find a room for you to stay in. Don't worry about boarding, Link is always welcome here. The same extends to his friends. Come on, Epona!" She patted the horse's muzzle affectionately before leading her to the stable.   
  
Sheik shifted Link's weight so that he was a bit more comfortable, and nodded toward the building Malon had indicated. "Not so far... we'll make it no trouble...," he said soothingly, very aware that Link, if still possessing that much thought (he looked like he'd fall asleep the minute he turned horizontal), would probably feel guilty about the situation. Sheik knew /he/ would have.   
  
Still.. Link really shouldn't feel guilty if he did.. the whole situation was Sheik's fault anyway. He choked back the feelings of self-loathing--there'd be a time for them and that was /not/ now.   
  
They made it to the door even as Malon was just getting back from putting Epona in the stables. Slow going.. at least they were safe for now.   
  
--   
  
Malon was so nice, he realized, to be doing this for them. True, she was one of those that he was somewhat scared of, just because she was, in a way, just another threat. There were always those people whispering to him that she might be a good choice for a partner, that she might already even have feelings for him. He had seen the looks she had given him, and slowly was beginning to realize that she felt some ounce of /something/ for him. Whether it was love, or just respect, he couldn't be sure. But emotions of any sort being directed to /him/ was something to be scared of, and so he did his best to be as formal as possible with her. And he knew that it hurt her, and he hated himself for being so difficult. He just... didn't understand. He couldn't return any of the feelings; yes, he appreciated her kindness, maybe even saw her as a friend, but that threat was always there, was always giving him a reason not to get too close.   
  
He watched her as she took Epona off, half-dazed, and wanted to tell her thank you for everything, and say that he was sorry. But she wouldn't understand, she would just be confused. It was better just to leave it. He turned to Sheik, his only support now, and gave a soft nod as he helped him towards the building that would soon serve as his salvation. He did his best to walk along with him, put as much of his energy into getting there, rather than just forcing Sheik to drag him -- dammit, why did he have to be so weak? /But Din did this to you... you can't help it.../ But he still felt bad, as much as he tried to convince himself that he shouldn't.   
  
Things were a bit different with Sheik, emotion-wise. He didn't feel as threatened, most likely because he was a male, and Link wasn't even aware that two males could be in any sort of intimate relationship. Another reason why he hadn't noticed how strangely Sheik acted when he was around him... "Thank you..." he gasped, as they entered the building and he saw the bed waiting for him. Oh, thank the heavens...   
  
--   
  
Sheik nodded slightly at the gratitude offered, and then carefully eased Link into the bed Malon had showed them, pulling the sword and shield off of the Hylian's back. Then, after he laid back on the bed, his boots and gloves as well--anything to make this slightly more comfortable for him.   
  
"Is there anything I can get for either of you..?" Malon was still at the doorway, hovering there, looking back and forth from Link to Sheik, her expression betraying confusion, curiosity, and worry.   
  
Link was practically out of it already, and Sheik offered him one last glance before turning back to the young lady. "On the contrary.. Link is resting, and I noticed you still had some horses out." He bowed his head slightly. "I can offer you nothing at this point but my service to you and your father in gratitude. Please allow me to assist you."   
  
He tried to ignore the slight blush crossing her pretty elven features when he raised his head to look back at her. He had this effect on.. well...not simply a few of the females he came across, and their attention was at the very best unwelcome. However this Malon seemed to be content only to blush at him, and that was fine with him.   
  
"Uhh... hh.. sure," she stammered. "Thanks, um... Sheik, is it?"   
  
He nodded slightly. "Lead the way."   
  
-----  
  
Author's Notes  
  
Court: I got to write hurt!Link. That made me very happy. I'm still so amused by how when I beta these I do not at all remember writing most of it. It was SO long ago. The fact that I like some of the posts I did is even more appalling. Watch SHEIK ANGST HAHAHAH. And isn't it sad that Link doens't even know that two guys can like each other yet? -__-;   
  
Rydia: _"Whuuh...?" he gurgled in wonderment..._ That right there is like my favorite line in the ENTIRE STORY. Just because I like to picture Link gurgling.  
  
--  
  
Stay tuned for Chapter 5 : In which Link assaults a loaf of bread! 


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Deus ex Machina  
Author: Court ( burningvigor@aol.com ) as Link, Rydia ( chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com ) as Sheik and about everyone else  
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is not ours. The characters are not ours. The setting is not ours. We borrowed it to have some fun. We interpreted it in our own way. We make no money off of this so you can't sue us. Neither of us have any money anyway.  
Summary: In the year following Ganondorf's defeat, a tentative peace has settled over Hyrule. Now the Goddesses are demanding one more thing from the Hero of Time, but at what cost?  
Warning: AU (Sheik and Zelda are different people, and Navi was killed at the end of OoT since no one likes her anyway). Shounen ai/yaoi (YES that means there are GAY PEOPLE OMG NUU :P), Link/Sheik.  
  
**Important Note:** This entire fanfic has been written in role-play format. That means that there are sections. Court writes one, then Rydia writes one, and so on and so forth. Things are REPEATED. Why? Because when we started, we didn't intend for this to be a fanfic. Now that we're finishing it, we love it to pieces and want to share it with the world. So. All the Link sections were written by Court, and all the Sheik sections were written by Rydia. And Rydia made the chapter titles because she's weird.  
  
--  
  
**Chapter 5**  
_In which Link assaults a loaf of bread_   
  
--  
  
_Oh, I woke up in hell today  
I woke up depressed and drained  
But that's ok cause  
I promised not to hurt you again_  
  
Our Lady Peace "Middle of Yesterday"   
  
--  
  
Eight hours. That was all Link slept. You would think after what he was put through, that he would at least sleep through the night or something, but no. Link was, after all, rather resilient. He had to be, considering who he was and all. There was also the fact that he still felt guilty about leaving Sheik to do everything, and so that was itching in the back of his mind, reminding him that he couldn't afford to just sleep the entire day and night away.   
  
It was nice, however, to wake up to the sweet melody of a harp he knew so well. He had played alongside those strumming cords quite a few times beforehand, and the fact that he had played music with Sheik in such harmony before was probably one of the reasons he was so attached to him in certain ways. But just as he was attached, in other aspects, they were utterly distant. It was strange.   
  
He let out a soft moan and stirred a bit in the comfy bed, turning over onto his side so that he was facing the one playing the harp, and slowly he let his eyes open to watch him. There was a surprise in seeing that he wasn't in his regular attire, but rather in normal clothing, and upon his closer inspection, he also realized that he had been given an outfit change as well. Now he was in some trousers and tunic that was rather open-necked and light, even showing off the beginnings of his chest. He blinked at his muscled form that was being displayed for all to see, blushed feverishly, and tried to close the neck up a bit.   
  
It didn't really matter, though. Sheik seemed perfectly enraptured with his music, focusing on that rather than on himself. He watched him in awe for a moment, not wanting to acknowledge that he was awake just yet; he just wanted to a chance to observe Sheik without knowing that Sheik was being in ways self-conscious, that he was hiding anything because he knew he had eyes on him, but just to see him as he was normally. It was... nice, and he found a smile touching his lips with this golden opportunity. Just a few more seconds... then he'd say something.   
  
--   
  
It had been a long day. Sheik supposed he really hadn't known what he'd been getting into when he'd offered to help out on the ranch. He didn't get a chance to sit down until they'd had something for supper. Afterwards, Malon had sent Sheik to the guest room, saying the worst was over (he'd certainly hope so, after part of the roof had blown off the stable and they had to repair it in the raging storm) and that he should relax for the rest of the evening.   
  
So he'd taken a very welcome hot bath and then sat in the room he'd ended up sharing with Link, until the usually welcome silence got to him and he'd gotten out his harp, starting to play the first thing that came to mind. It was rather melancholy, but it suited him just fine. He couldn't remember offhand where he had learned it, but it somehow reminded him of the brief glimpses he could remember of his mother.   
  
He was completely unaware that Link had awakened and so he continued playing. Link had rolled over and murmured before and remained asleep, though the first time it had startled him rather badly. So this was nothing new, he thought nothing of it and simply figured that Link would sleep completely through the night.   
  
And so he continued his melancholy song, the pattern his long fingers took distracting him from things he knew he should be thinking about..   
  
--   
  
Well, Link was beginning to feel like he was letting this go too long, knowing quite well himself that Sheik most likely would never have approved of someone watching him so intently when he wasn't aware of it, and so he tried to think of a way to properly break the silence. In a few moments he just settled on, "That's a really nice song..." He actually wondered himself where Sheik had learned it; it was so sad, it made him think of the few troubled times he had had in his life, and then he realized that Sheik had probably been through much worse.   
  
The way he played it was proof enough -- he put all of his being into the music, the plucking of the cords, and the whining of the song, not annoying, but actually nice on the ears, sang its own sad tale. Music could tell you so much, if you just knew how to listen. And that was what Link did -- he was happy just laying there, staring at the ceiling and listening. It was nice, and it almost... almost made him forget that they yet again had a world to save, a queen to see.   
  
"So..." he started, knowing that bringing up the topic was rather depressing and feeling sort of bad for ruining the moment he knew Sheik was in, "do you think we'll be able to leave for Hyrule Castle tomorrow?" Yes, he felt quite able now, and was ready yet again to make his way to Zelda. Not that he really liked the idea, but it was... necessary. He just hoped Sheik didn't decide that he wanted him to stay in bed. He always had a tough time arguing with Sheik about things for some reason...   
  
--   
  
While Sheik was certainly a bit startled to hear Link's voice, he managed not to jump or show his surprise in anything but the abrupt ending to the song. Which showed his surprise well enough. Ah well. He'd pluck one more string, just for good measure, before stopping and turning slightly toward Link.   
  
"My mother taught it to me when I was very young," he said softly, surprised at his own words. He wasn't even sure that was correct.. at least he hadn't been before he had said anything. Now it seemed as though.. something clicked, that this was right. He couldn't remember his mother's face, only her voice.   
  
He was lost in this thought when Link continued to speak, asking if tomorrow they would be able to leave for the castle. He was silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts, and he sent a glance toward the window. It was still raining, though not nearly as hard as it had been. Still, Hyrule field probably somewhat resembled a marsh now, and the only reason the ranch wasn't suffering was probably because it was at the top of a hill.   
  
"Possibly. It's been raining for a few hours, though, and the castle moat might be flooded if the rain reaches that far." He didn't look directly at Link, unable to bring himself to for some reason, and continued to look out the window. "It depends on how you are feeling tomorrow."   
  
Steeling himself, he forced his eyes back to the figure on the bed, silent for a moment. "How /are/ you feeling...?" Concern? A weakness, maybe.. but he couldn't help being worried.   
  
--   
  
Sheik's surprise wasn't noted by the ex-fairy boy, mainly because he was just dense like that, but another good excuse could also be that he /had/ just woken up and all. It did seem like an abrupt stop to the song, but he just figured that was because he wanted to focus on speaking with him, not playing and talking at the same time... he wanted to have full concentration while playing, and if he was busy trying to converse with someone, than he wouldn't be able to put as much of himself into it as he would have liked. But that was just Link's way of thinking. He was so confused about things that he had to make up a lot of his own answers for such things.   
  
His mother... well, that made sense. It seemed like a lullaby, something that could easily hypnotize one into slumber. She probably used it as a way to get him to sleep quicker. It seemed strange to be delving into thoughts of Sheik's past, and once again he felt like he was being horribly invasive for some reason, as if it was just /wrong/ to find out anything about Sheik, that he should always be shrouded in this overwhelming cloud of mystery.   
  
His own mother... he hardly remembered. All he knew was that he owed her his life, would have been dead before he had truly lived had it not been for her courage; the only thing he regretted was that she was forced to flee to the Kokiri forest. It had been rather hard growing up there, knowing that he was different but not knowing why, and even now having to face them without them even remembering who he was, recognizing him. But these small, trifling problems were much better than death, he supposed.   
  
"Hmm. If it's still raining by tomorrow morning, or it it's too flooded around the ranch, we might not be able to go..." This was in a way disappointing. At this point, he just wanted to get the audience over with. The feeling of dread that kept clotting up in his stomach was getting uncomfortable. "And I'll be fine... I'm doing pretty good right now, I think." He was feeling pretty healthy. Yes, he hadn't tried to stand or do anything so daunting yet, but he thought it was better he woke up a bit more and stayed in bed a bit longer before he risked that.   
  
"I'm sure I'll be fine for tomorrow, though..." At least, he hoped. And even if he was weak, he was sure he'd be able to force himself through it by then, be strong enough for that, at least. He was going with Sheik, no matter what he said. Luckily the winds and rain had come up and stopped Sheik from going on today.   
  
--   
  
Link did seem to be doing better, at least judging from the fact that he was fairly coherent, which is a bit more than he could have said before they'd arrived at the ranch. Fine, they'd go on tomorrow, if Link felt up to it in the morning. And if he didn't, Sheik would go alone.   
  
Recalling the events of the day, he wondered if he should anyway.   
  
And really, he wished he could just slip away into the night, head to the castle himself, and let Link recover here for as long as he needed to, and then to go back to whatever he did to keep himself occupied these days. Sheik wished he could be assured that Link would be able to go somewhere safe, and not have to fight...   
  
...but that was idealistic. The threat could very well be Ganondorf. And the only thing that could keep Ganondorf at bay was the Master Sword. And the only one who could wield the Master Sword was Link.   
  
Fate had a funny way of screwing the poor boy over, didn't it?   
  
And somehow, Sheik felt responsible. For the attack earlier, of course, but he somehow felt that it was his fault that Link had to get involved. If he hadn't stayed with Link that night, he would have just figured it out alone and gone to the castle alone... Even though he knew Link would have to be there, it was still his fault that Link was in the bed right then anyway. Sheikahs weren't /supposed/ to feel like this, and this was his punishment for that.   
  
He looked away from Link, studying the wall near the bed. "I...wanted to apologize to you about what happened before. It's my fault She went after you..."   
  
--   
  
The apology seemed rather sudden, but then again, Link hadn't been aware that Sheik had been dwelling over it for the entire day. And it was a surprise for him to call it his fault. Yes, he had known it was Din that had caused him the pain, pain so excruciating that he passed out from it, but he hadn't considered that maybe her anger towards him had been because of something Sheik had done.   
  
And he had to wonder what Sheik had done, or thought... or said... or whatever, to make her take her anger out on him, but he doubted that that was something that Sheik wanted to discuss. After all, he seemed upset enough about it, the guilt shining almost painfully bright in those red eyes, and Link realized how strange it was to see him showing any shred of emotion whatsoever. He was almost always apathetic, and so he even felt privileged to view this; the only downside being the circumstances it was under, the emotion it was that he was seeing.   
  
"Don't worry about it, Sheik," he said reassuringly, shocked at how well he was feeling, good enough to sit up and have a good conversation with him. "Knowing Din, she probably would have done it nevertheless... to get you to hurry up or something else." It may have been dangerous to fling Din's name about so freely, but Link usually didn't think things over... and even so, at this point he didn't care what Din thought. He found he didn't like Her very much, anyways.   
  
He found his eyes trailing to the window Sheik had been staring out of just a little while ago. "The rain's nice..." He had always liked it, the feeling of the droplets cascading on his skin, pasting his hair onto his head. And that made him realize... "Hey, I still need a new hat!" He cursed under his breath -- he wanted another one already, dammit. And Sheik needed his cover thing, too. They both were missing a piece of themselves, naked. "I hope I can get a new one soon..." Being rather childish, yes, but maybe that would lighten the mood...?   
  
--   
  
At one point, Link's abrupt mood switch might not have thrown Sheik off balance, but he'd been being more open lately (a change that Link may have enjoyed, but Sheik certainly didn't) and he found himself blinking in a bit of surprise. Link had gone from serious and forgiving him for something he didn't completely understand, to complaining about not having his hat in about thirty seconds.   
  
It took him a moment to regain that precious balance, a slip up he did not want to repeat. Yes, Link did look different without his hat. He was apparently very fond of the missing article of clothing, still distressing over its loss. Sheik could relate. Not having his face covered was a foreign concept up until yesterday.   
  
Speaking of which, he'd have to get a new one before appearing before the queen. She was familiar with the regulations of the Sheikahs, and while she would not be personally offended if he showed up without it, it might be a way to get on her better side if he had it. It was his fault she'd gotten kidnapped, after all. And she'd be sure to have Sheikah bodyguards.. who wouldn't so much as acknowledge his existence if he had his face dishonorably uncovered.   
  
"We may be able to find one in the market place," he said mildly, half lost in thought. "I'll need a new cowl myself before we get to the palace, or they won't even listen to me..."   
  
He didn't know if he had enough ruppees to cover both the items. Malon had rejected his offer completely, saying the work he had done was more than enough to pay for the boarding which she'd rather have had free anyway. Well, perhaps Link had enough for his hat. Assuming they could find one, of course.   
  
--   
  
Yes, Link had some serious mood swing problems, but usually they went from sad to happy, not from perky to grumpy, as it usually did with other people. So his usually were a lot more bearable. The explanation for his mood swings was pretty simple -- he just didn't like to brood, he was much more content being optimistic. Depression didn't suit him. So when he caught himself acting like Sheik, he quickly transitioned to his normal, lop-sided, clumsy self.   
  
Still, it did cause for a bit of confusion when other people witnessed it, and he for once caught the surprise lingering on Sheik's countenance. He chuckled inwardly at this; it was such a reward to see any sort of emotion emanating from him, and so when he caught it, he felt rather proud of himself.   
  
The market place. That was a good idea... if there was anywhere to go if you were looking for something, that was the place. He wasn't sure how likely it would be that they had a hat similar enough to his old one, was quite positive that the Kokiri, if anyone, would have a perfect replacement for him, but they'd have to try the market. For one, they didn't have the time to go to the forest. And secondly, Link didn't really want to go there. He avoided it whenever he could manage.   
  
"We should be all to find one for you there. It's all right if we don't find my hat. It isn't /that/ important." No, he definitely didn't need his hat in order for people to listen to him. They would hear him out whether or not his head was covered, which was a good thing.   
  
"Umm, I have some money, too, if you're short." He didn't know where they had put his pack, but he knew he had a few ruppees thrown in there. After all, you could find them everywhere these days, hidden in bushes and the like. And he had a huge wallet to put them all in, too.   
  
--   
  
Sheik nodded shortly. He was fairly certain he had enough to get a new scarf.. they weren't that expensive or rare, or even that special, really. He wasn't picky either, he needed to cover his face. It didn't really matter how. But the offer was appreciated regardless.   
  
They'd also need a few other things, like supplies, which they could probably buy here on the ranch. The trip to the castle would take a half a day at most, but it wouldn't hurt to have something slightly more nutritious than whatever edible plants they could find on the way. And it'd probably taste better...   
  
As if on cue, there was a tap on the door, and it swung open to reveal Malon with a tray full of steaming food giving off a delightful aroma. She smiled widely. "Ah, you woke up! How are you feeling? I made some supper for you.. I heard you two talking and so I warmed up what we had and brought it up..."   
  
As she was speaking, Sheik had gotten to his feet to come help her with the tray. She smiled shyly at him, and blushed a bit. "...and, uh... yeah!" She looked back at Link. "I hope you like it!"   
  
--   
  
Well, money troubles shouldn't be an issue. If push came to shove, Link was sure they could borrow some stuff from Malon and he'd pay her back for it later, but he was sure he had a good amount of ruppees in his wallet, since he usually didn't spend them very often, but rather tried to save and make sure he always had a good amount in case of emergency, such as this...   
  
And hungry he was. After all, all he had eaten was some shrubs and the like that they had picked up on the road, and he had hardly been able to shove that down without his stomach threatening to throw it back up. So when Malon walked in with a tray of hot, steaming food he nearly jumped up from the bed, a look of pure happiness, raw in its form, spread over his face, and he grinned at her, about ready to tackle her in thanks.   
  
"Oh, Malon, you're a saint... thank you so much." He continued to grin from ear to ear at her, giving her a nod when she said she hoped they'd enjoy it. "Oh, I will... I could eat Epona, I'm so hungry." He felt a bit bad at the look of horror she gave at that, but she was gone in mere seconds, and then Sheik was bringing over the food. He resembled a wolf with that hungry look on his face, like the food was fresh prey ready to be ripped to shreds. And wolf it down he would.   
  
He grabbed a bowl of soup and a spoon, though the latter wasn't really used as he poured the stuff down his throat, the burning sensation hardly noticed, and after that, grabbed a piece of bread and started ripping at it ferociously. Yes, Link liked his food.   
  
--   
  
Malon giggled at his eagerness, and even Sheik managed a small smirk accompanied by a raised eyebrow. "Hey, hey, slow down!" the redhead laughed, though rather in vain as she seated herself on the edge of Link's bed to wait for him to finish. There seemed to be nothing stopping the hungry Hylian. "I'm glad you like it, but really!"   
  
Sheik made his way back to his chair near the window, seating himself there and occupying himself looking out the window, even as the scattered sunlight still lighting the day slowly dispersed into darkness. Without looking back at the girl, he said, "Is there anything else you needed help with, Malon..?"   
  
She looked over at him. "Oh.. no, you've done more than enough. I already told you that six times! Don't you listen?" A turn towards Link. "Does he listen to you? Tell him he doesn't have to do anything else. He already helped us more than enough! Or is he as stubborn as you are?"   
  
Sheik had to smile a bit at the window. The girl's enthusiasm was almost contagious, but his thoughts were still darkened by the setting sun, and the thoughts of what the next day would hold and how much closer to that day it was.   
  
--   
  
Yes. It wasn't a good idea to eat it so fast, and Link found himself almost choking on the bread, setting the half-finished piece back down and coughing a few times for good measure to make sure he didn't choke. After a small break, in which he grinned at both Sheik and Malon, but didn't spare the time to talk, he then grabbed the food up again and munched on it, a bit slower this time.   
  
Geez, Sheik could be such a stiff. Just sitting in his chair by the window, gazing out of it wistfully... it made Link wanna slap him upside the head sometimes just because it annoyed him. But he understood, in a way. He couldn't expect everyone to be as perky as he and Malon usually were, after all. He had to wonder why he got along better with Sheik, who was easily his polar opposite, and found himself distancing from Malon.   
  
A sigh as he realized he did know the answer. /It's because he's a guy... you don't have to worry about him liking you, you don't have to be scared that he's going to love you and you aren't going to know what to do./ Really. He was so scared of emotions in general, and love was such a strong one... he hardly even knew what it /was/, and to think that someone could harness that towards /him/ of all people... it was plain old scary. Not to mention that he would constantly suspect that it was because he was the Hero of Time...   
  
He grinned deviously as Malon complained about Sheik, finally relenting from his attack upon the bread to speak. "I know... he's only a little less stubborn than me, by the way. And Sheik, calm down. Malon's nice, she'll take care of us." He smiled softly at him, and then resumed his assault of the bread.   
  
He finally finished after a little while, and he let out a sigh of relief, one hand rested upon his now full stomach. "Geez, Malon, that was divine..." It sounded weird to use such a word, but he was trying to broaden his rather childish vocabulary bit by bit. "Thank you so much... I'll come and help with the horses sometime later to pay back my share... though knowing Sheik, he probably did mine plus some already."   
  
--   
  
Ah, if only Link could understand just how wrong he was. While every girl in the nation of Hyrule might have a crush on Link, Sheik's feelings were...rather different. This was proved mostly by the fact that he didn't /want/ to feel this way, while most of the others liked Link for the sake of liking him.   
  
In all honesty, the feelings had disturbed Sheik has much as the prospect of them scared Link. For someone who had been taught to push all emotions aside, that feelings were weaknesses, to feel so strongly... it was strange, and more than a little frightening for him.   
  
"He /did/!" Malon exclaimed, breaking into his thoughts. "You don't have to worry about it. You're always welcome here anyway, you didn't have to worry about it in the first place." As she spoke, she was gathering the dishes on the tray on to a little pile so that she could easily carry it back to the kitchen.   
  
"I'm glad you liked it," she continued, just sort of babbling as she flitted around. "I wasn't sure it was going to be that great, since I had to warm it up for you and all.. but I saved it just for you, in case you woke up yet tonight, and I guess it's a good thing I did. You sure were hungry, huh. Just out of curiosity, how long were you intending to stay?"   
  
Sheik took this as his cue to mention the supplies they might need. "We were hoping to leave tomorrow morning, if Link feels up to it. If not, I'll go myself and come back as soon as I can. Is there any way we could perhaps buy some supplies from you?" "Sure," Malon replied. "You'll have to talk to Dad, but I'm sure he'll give you a good price. I'd love to give it to you for free, but Daddy won't let me." She shrugged apologetically. "If you're going far, you could even rent one of the horses if you want to."   
  
--   
  
The only reason Link hadn't considered Sheik a threat was because he wasn't aware that two males were even capable of feeling love for each other. True, it was rather silly for him to think this way, but he had never been exposed to it, only knew of a guy and a girl getting together, so he made nothing of the strange looks Sheik gave him sometimes, or how he seemed uncomfortable and refused to make eye contact with him. He just thought that was how Sheik was. And as for his feelings in return... he just wrote them off as a close friendship, one he wasn't even sure Sheik returned. What /was/ he to Sheik? He had no idea.   
  
Sheik was a good friend, and also the safe haven amongst everyone else that was about ready to tackle him and force him to return the feelings that they held so strongly. Or at least, that was what he was scared of. Whether or not any of the women that were after him would go so far was questionable. At least Ruto wasn't around to bother him... she definitely would have done such a thing, with all that talk of marriage. He suppressed a shudder at the thought of her. Sure, she was nice and all, but still...   
  
"I'm glad to know I can always come here for help, Malon. You've been such a great help." It was hard to see her so happy, so content in the peace that was actually so short-lived. He couldn't bear to go into the details of what Din's power might actually do... how bad it could be. He didn't want to visibly see the hope leave her entirely. Then again, she was strong-willed. She'd pull through, even if they did have to go through a similar event, possibly even worse, to Ganondorf's rule.   
  
"No, it was perfect!" he assured her. "Better than anything I could do, anyways..." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, remembering the multiple times he had absolutely botched anything he tried to cook, burning it or freezing it or dropping it... he'd done just about everything wrong you could do when it came to food, and more than that... eventually he had just given up on the whole concept. The only thing he /did/ cook well was fish.   
  
He let Sheik and her talk amongst themselves, his companion being the better one to deal with such things as supplies. Link never knew what to take or the proper amount... so it was better he left Sheik to it. "Oh, we have Epona... we can always ride her. I'll probably have to if I want to even make it there tomorrow." He sighed softly; he hated being such a burden, but it was the truth. "And Sheik, you might want to ride on her with me if we want to get there fast... I mean, we really should have been there tonight, but the weather prevented..." He closed his eyes for a moment, the seriousness of things finally sinking in a bit.   
  
"Anyways, thanks for a final time, Malon... I better get rest if I wanna be ready to go in the morning." He watched her leave the room and then settled back down into the bed, watching Sheik for a moment. "...where are you going to sleep?"   
  
--   
  
Link's suggestion that they ride Epona together was met with a slight, if automatic wince, just before he could stop himself. Hopefully Link had either missed it altogether, or wrote it off as nothing. But he wasn't going to argue without a good excuse to offer. A good excuse that didn't seem to want to come to mind at the moment.   
  
Malon left the room, carrying the thoroughly emptied tray and commenting on how there weren't even any /crumbs/ left. Sheik might have smiled at the comment if he had been in a better mood. But as it stood.. well, tomorrow was just looking worse and worse.   
  
Link was looking exhausted, and lay back down in his bed, but kept his eyes on his companion for another moment and asked where Sheik was planning to sleep. The thought hadn't really occurred to him before, and he noticed now that there was no other bed in the room.   
  
A cursory glance about the room told him though that Malon had not forgotten him. There was a cot folded up in the corner of the room. "Ah.. here." He got up and crossed the room to the cot, pulling it away from the wall and opening it up. It seemed pretty nice, and he was used to sleeping in much worse places. He set it up across the room from Link and sat on the edge. It was rather early for sleep, he supposed, but he hadn't slept very much or very well the night prior, so the rest would be very welcome.   
  
"If we leave in the morning, we should make it to the castle by noon," he commented, turning slightly and stretching first one leg and then the other out on the cot.   
  
--   
  
No, the wince wasn't even noticed, Link's usually fairly good vision slightly blurry thanks to how tired he suddenly felt. He wasn't alert enough to have noticed it at this point, and even if he had, he wouldn't have looked into it at all. It was amazing how he usually paid so much attention to detail but couldn't actually pull anything out of the details that he found. Sort of sad, actually. He understood so little...   
  
He smirked for Sheik at the comment that she made, and felt even guiltier that he wasn't more open towards the chipper girl, didn't really show his real self around her, but was just the nice, perfect hero he was supposed to be. /I'm not perfect at all... far from it, actually.../ He gave a mental sigh. Why did everyone think he was so great when he was no different from anyone else? Possibly even inferior. The Goddesses knew he screwed things up enough.   
  
He was slowly losing a hold on his consciousness, felt his eyelids trying harder and harder to close over his vision, cloud it, leave him looking at just darkness and nothing more. But he didn't want to just doze off without saying a proper goodnight... It seemed wrong somehow. He winced at the sight of the cot. It didn't look at all comfortable... then again, Link knew his own woes of bad sleeping places. He had been forced to sleep out on the field, with just Epona as his pillow, on multiple occasions. And the cave the night before wasn't perfect, either. He was sure that Sheik would be fine -- there was no other place for him to sleep, after all, and the Sheikah would /never/ allow Link to give up the bed so he could sleep there, not in Link's condition. "All right..." he mumbled sleepily, watching him through eyes now glazed over. "S... sleep well... I'll see you in the morning. G'night..." And slowly he let his eyes finally close, and in a matter of seconds he was out like a light.   
  
--   
  
Sheik lay back on the cot, resting one hand on his stomach and turning his head to the side, watching as Link quickly slipped into slumber. He watched him for a long while, thoughts churning uncomfortably in his mind. The longer he dwelled on the matter of what might happen tomorrow, the larger the pit in his stomach grew--the pit he'd been trying to ignore that entire day. It was beginning to make him feel ill.   
  
/Stop it. Panicking isn't going to help anything./   
  
He was dreading going back.. having to face the Order again. Something in his mind told him that he wasn't going to get away with just speaking to the Queen. Something was telling him he'd have to appear before them.   
  
But they'd never know. There was no way they could have found out. Unless...   
  
No. Impa would never reveal his secret. That's why he'd gone to her in the first place. She understood that it was something that he'd never asked for, a rule he'd never meant to break, something that he wanted no more than anything to remedy. He just didn't know /how/.   
  
She wouldn't tell them. She wouldn't do that to him.   
  
Still, sleep eluded him. He didn't even know what would happen to him if they found out. He didn't want to know. He told himself firmly that he would never find out, and closed his eyes forcibly. He needed to sleep.. they had a big day tomorrow.   
  
Tomorrow...   
  
-----  
  
Author's Notes  
  
Court: I find it amusing that we could fill a whole chapter with simply Link waking up and eating food faster than humanly possible and then going back to sleep again. With lots of talk and worriment over THE NEXT DAY OMFG!!!1ONE. I'm sorry. It's just. NOTHING HAPPENS. XD It amuses me. The next chapter is great, though. Just you wait. We'll make you. WE'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER.  
  
I'm done. Really.  
  
Rydia: And now for a bit of Sheikah history to explain some things coming up soon. In this fic (and NO OTHER fic I've written), the Sheikah people, rather than a completely separate race, are special Hylians set apart at birth by some sort of birth mark and red eyes and then raised as elite warriors, dedicating their entire lives to their cause. Because they don't have to procreate, love is a taboo. All emotion is considered bad, but strong emotions such as love and hate are considered especially bad, bad enough to be removed from the tribe. Sheik has good reason to be upset.  
  
Oh yes, and the reason Sheik has rounded ears and tan skin is because his mother (in this fic) was a Gerudo. :P What? I couldn't help it--Gerudos and Sheikahs are my two favorite races! XD  
  
--  
  
Stay tuned for Chapter 6 : In which Sheik receives some interesting news! 


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Deus ex Machina  
Author: Court ( burningvigoraol.com ) as Link, Rydia ( chichiriishothotmail.com ) as Sheik and about everyone else  
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is not ours. The characters are not ours. The setting is not ours. We borrowed it to have some fun. We interpreted it in our own way. We make no money off of this so you can't sue us. Neither of us have any money anyway.  
Summary: In the year following Ganondorf's defeat, a tentative peace has settled over Hyrule. Now the Goddesses are demanding one more thing from the Hero of Time, but at what cost?  
Warning: AU (Sheik and Zelda are different people, and Navi was killed at the end of OoT since no one likes her anyway). Shounen ai/yaoi (YES that means there are GAY PEOPLE OMG NUU :P), Link/Sheik.  
  
**Important Note:** This entire fanfic has been written in role-play format. That means that there are sections. Court writes one, then Rydia writes one, and so on and so forth. Things are REPEATED. Why? Because when we started, we didn't intend for this to be a fanfic. Now that we're finishing it, we love it to pieces and want to share it with the world. So. All the Link sections were written by Court, and all the Sheik sections were written by Rydia. And Rydia made the chapter titles because she's weird.  
  
--  
  
**Chapter 6**  
_In which Sheik receives some interesting news_  
  
Warning: This chapter is VERY intense and VERY angsty and you're all going to hurt us for ending it where we did. XD WE LOVE YOUUUU.   
  
--  
  
_I remember feeling low  
I remember losing hope  
I remember all the feelings  
And the day they stopped_  
  
Our Lady Peace "Innocent"   
  
--  
  
Sleep was so nice... so wonderful. It made Link forget about it all, about everything else, all he had to worry about, which wasn't much compared to others, but... there was the world's fate in his hands, or at least partly in his hands, yet again, and that was enough to put a bit of stress on the poor seventeen year old boy. So sleep was an escape, where dreams were light-hearted, nightmares luckily not a problem... and it was loved, cherished. The only problem was, sleep was temporary.   
  
He knew he needed to get up... there was some pressing matter that he needed to attend to. He let out an annoyed groan as he slowly started to awaken, the loud crowing of the roosters reminding him of the many times he had angered the farm animals and they had chased after him while he galloped away on Epona.   
  
A smirk played upon his lips at that particular memory, and he just gave in and woke up after that, sitting up and putting a hand to his dizzying head a result of getting up too fast. "Urgh..." He blinked away the fairy dust from his eyes and then glanced around to find an empty room. Hmm... Sheik was probably off getting the supplies already.   
  
Now was the moment of truth. He had to see if he could stand. Placing one of his hands against the wall for a bit of support, he slid both legs slowly, carefully off of the bed and placed them gingerly on the floor. Then he pressed his weight upon them as he pushed himself up, and was glad to see that luckily, though he was a bit shaky, he was standing perfectly fine. He blinked, rather proud of himself and astonished at how easy that had been, and with a grin, he exited the room and went out in search of Sheik.   
  
--   
  
Sheik had indeed been gathering the supplies Malon had packed for them the night before. Already dressed in his freshly cleaned normal outfit, complete with the bandages covering most of his hair, he was currently making his way back to the room he and Link had occupied with the supplies and Link's clean clothing. He didn't want to wake the other and so he was rather relieved to see Link peering out of the open door, presumably looking for him.   
  
"Good morning," he said, inclining his head slightly towards Link. "Glad to see you on your feet again. Malon cleaned our clothes for us last night, and she's making us something to eat before we leave."   
  
Such a speech wasn't completely rare for him, but as he hadn't been speaking much in general lately due to the weight on his mind, this seemed like a lot to him. He felt like he was babbling, even though everything he was sharing was likely something Link needed to know. And the anxiety in his tone was painfully apparent to him.. though it might not be for someone else listening to him speak. He couldn't tell. He just knew he was anxious, and he could tell in his own voice.   
  
He hoped that he didn't sound too anxious to Link, though his posture was unnaturally stiff, even for him.   
  
--   
  
Link was glad he didn't have to look too far before finding Sheik, had just stepped out of the door when he was walking up to him. He wanted to spend as little time as possible on his feet... because he wasn't sure when he would run out of energy, when he wouldn't be able to stand anymore... and he didn't want to give everyone at the castle the wrong impression when he was practically falling over. They didn't need to know what Din had done. Then again... maybe it would be a better way of convincing them of her power, what she was capable of? If she could weaken the Hero of Time... yes, that might be a good idea, to bring that up. But only if Sheik agreed. He had seemed rather touchy about the subject, still thinking it was his fault.   
  
"Good morning," he said in return, as politely as possible, but not in any sort of formal matter. "Yes, I'm feeling pretty good, but I don't want to stay on my feet for too long..." He nodded; he had expected as much from Malon. He saw that Sheik had his clothing in his arms, and took a few steps forward to relieve Sheik of them.   
  
"Umm... I guess I'll go get changed. Where are we eating breakfast? I'll meet you there." Sheik seemed just as strange today as he had yesterday. Probably nervous about what they were about to go and do; Link knew he was. He had never felt comfortable around all the royalty and the guards in the palace... hell, he hardly felt good around the people in the town market. But he had to go there so often, to the market, that is, that he was beginning to get used to it.   
  
He blinked owlishly at Sheik as he waited for the answer, and tried his best to suppress the butterflies in his stomach. He really wasn't looking forward to this.   
  
--   
  
Link seemed different, probably a bit nervous. Sheik knew that Link wasn't looking forward to going back to the castle, knew that Zelda made him nervous. And he felt badly that he was dragging Link there. But he wasn't even sure he could trust himself to go alone, without falling apart. At least when Link was there... his presence was soothing somehow, his carefree demeanor, his smile...   
  
/Stop that before you start blushing./   
  
Eh.. he bit the inside of his lip to bring himself back to the present. Link was waiting for him to answer. He swallowed tightly. "Uh.. there's a kitchen down the hall and to your left. That's where she's making breakfast," he said lamely.   
  
Good Goddesses, he was messing up everything that morning. It was a combination of too little sleep and the anxiety building inside of him. He tried to calm himself down with the regular admonition of the feelings--if he was a true Sheikah, he wouldn't feel this. Then again, if he was a true Sheikah, he wouldn't have to worry about seeing them all again.   
  
What if he messed up? What if she had said something? What if Din attacked them again? What if...   
  
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stop thinking these things. He was still feeling ill from the stress. Instead of going straight to the kitchen, he stopped in the bathroom and relieved the contents of his stomach there before continuing. It... didn't help much.   
  
--   
  
Link nodded, a light-hearted smile on his face as always, and then headed off into the room he had just exited to change out of these rather... revealing clothes. He had entirely forgotten how open-necked the tunic had been, and just now realized that he must have been showing off his chest like an exhibitionist out there in front of Sheik. He blushed heavily, and wondered slightly to himself /why/ he was doing so. Sheik was supposed to be his safe haven, remember? The one person that he didn't have to worry about the issue of love and such when he was around. The one that wasn't supposed to make him blush.   
  
He sighed -- this was just plain stupid. He quickly changed back into his Kokiri tunic and then folded the other clothing neatly, preparing to give it to Malon once he saw her. He then walked out again, following the directions that Sheik had given, and entered the kitchen, to find that Sheik and Malon were both waiting for him.   
  
He grinned sheepishly and paced over to where Malon was busy frying up some eggs, handing them over to her. With that done, he immediately headed for the table and sat down in an empty chair, doing his best to keep off his feet as much as possible. He folded his arms on the table and rested his head on them as he watched Sheik, who was standing against the wall, again. Why did he keep on looking at the Sheikah so intently? He had examined his fine features many times before... knew the curve of his back, every design of his clothing...   
  
Why? Why did he pay so much more attention to him?   
  
/Because he's my friend.../ he reminded himself roughly. After all, what else could it be?   
  
--   
  
The day started out to be as lovely as ever once again, as though the storms of the day previous had never happened. The only evidence of their ferocity was the puddles of still collected water in the grass and the occasional decimated bush and uprooted tree. The birds and other creatures littering the field were again present, though in a slightly smaller number, barely noticeable.   
  
Link was already on Epona's back as Sheik let the horse from the ranch, nodding his thanks again to Malon, who was waving them off from the gates. Their supplies were strapped firmly against the back of Epona's saddle, and there was nothing else he could do to stall their journey to the castle.   
  
Sheik somehow doubted even having Link pressed against his back was going to keep him preoccupied this time.   
  
A flood of resentment for Din and Ganondorf and just about anyone else he didn't particularly like at the moment flooded through him, and he ignored it, grateful only that it was distracting him from that gaping pit in his stomach.   
  
With a stifled sigh, he carefully mounted Epona, again in front of Link, and gathered the reigns. A cursory glance over his shoulder, and, "You ready?"   
  
--   
  
It was surprising that the field wasn't in a worse state, but the rain had probably let up a little while after Link had dozed off the previous night and given it time to recover a little. It was a curse and a blessing. As much as he didn't want to go, he knew that he had to, and it was better just to get it over with.   
  
At least the food had been good. He functioned much better on a full stomach, and the big meal would give him enough energy to make it to the castle and still be able to function, or so he hoped. He was feeling nice and energized at the moment, so that was a good thing.   
  
He hardly thought a thing of it as Sheik jumped up into the saddle in front of him, glad that he had complied this time since it would make for a much better time, and he gave a swift nod at his question. "Yep. Go ahead." He grinned brightly at him. At least the trip there would be nice in this sunny weather. It was what was to come after that that he was worried about.   
  
Both hands slinked down to grab either side of the saddle tightly, remembering how Sheik had tensed when he had grabbed him the other day to use as leverage. Then again, if he went too fast, or the ride got a little bumpy, he might have to do so again. But for now, he would do his best to just use the saddle to hold on. He didn't want to make Sheik any more uncomfortable than they both already were.   
  
--   
  
At this point, Sheik likely wouldn't have really cared one way or the other if Link held on to him or not. He wasn't getting any tenser, he didn't think, and there were enough other things on his mind that his feelings for Link were the least of his problems.   
  
He pressed the horse to go faster, suddenly just wanting to get there and get it over with. The anticipation of it was what was eating him, that was the problem. He'd been dwelling on it for too long, and it was starting to show. Link's touch might have actually been welcome at this point... somehow, worrying about how close Link was to him was much easier than worrying about what the Elders knew or didn't know.   
  
Hell, he wasn't even sure of what it was. He just knew that what he felt was strong.. too strong. And it hurt. He'd never admit to himself that it was love, he hadn't said the word even to Impa when he'd confided in her. She had said it and he had immediately backed down....and even though he wouldn't admit it, he /knew/ it was true, deep down, locked away in the furthest recesses of his mind. A glance at the surface, he could convince himself it was something else. It was the guilt and the shame that accompanied it that told him.   
  
He didn't know if he'd ever be able to suppress this feeling, this emotion. Which would make him inferior to the other Sheikahs... Emotions made one weaker. He knew this. He knew it from experience. Memories of the events in the Temple of Time as Zelda was kidnapped echoed painfully through his mind.   
  
/I was watching /him/ rather than watching for trouble.. If I had been more focused.. If I hadn't been so enamored../   
  
--   
  
Hyrule Town Market.   
  
It really seemed like it would be Link's type of place, very upbeat and cheerful, children running around chasing chickens and people dancing around trees rather... strangely. He always had to give a strange look in that direction. It was a shame that they didn't let Epona in here... yes, he was still feeling perfectly fine but for whatever reason he feared that that energy would be whisked away in a matter of seconds if he wasn't careful.   
  
People waved at the familiar face that he presented, especially the younger children, and he of course, waved back and smiled. He also noticed the strange looks thrown in Sheik's direction, and sighed softly at this. They of course were wondering who would be in the Hero of Time's company, and he felt sorry that Sheik had to be exposed to this. He knew Sheik didn't like big crowds, and that was probably one of the many reasons he didn't come here often.   
  
But it was necessary. They had a lot of stuff they needed to purchase here, after all. "Okay... first we need your... cowl." He winced as the unknown word came out of his mouth, and was quite aware that he sounded like an idiot. At least he had recalled the term that Sheik had used for it, and wasn't calling it 'cover thing' as he had been doing in his mind.   
  
"My hat is less important. We'll look for that afterwards if we have time." He nodded briskly. "Now... where would they be selling one?" His eyes darted around the many shops vigorously.   
  
--   
  
The crowd was intimidating, and Sheik didn't like it. But it was necessary.. all of this was necessary. He'd already seen them in the crowd, watching. The entire Order would know he was here by the time they reached the castle gates.   
  
Or.. what was left of the castle.   
  
In the year since Ganondorf's defeat, the Hyrule castle had started being rebuilt, though with much debate on the location. Many thought it was sacrilegious to rebuild upon the foundations of the remains of Ganondorf's castle. After much debate, they finally grudgingly agreed that there wasn't a more practical place TO rebuild, and started there.   
  
It was going to take much more than a year to complete, though. There was enough of it now to at least house the queen and her attendants, though, so she resided there now. And that's where they were heading.   
  
After, of course, he had a new cowl.   
  
"The kind isn't important. I just need a scarf to hide my face," he said softly, knowing Link could barely hear him, but not wanting to speak any louder. The looks he was getting from the other people, simply because he was walking with the Hero of Time, were making him more uncomfortable than he liked to admit.   
  
/As if I weren't uncomfortable enough./   
  
He decided it didn't really matter anyway, and began looking around. He spotted something that looked like they might have what he needed and pointed. "That looks promising.."   
  
--   
  
Well, the castle was looking better than the last time Link had been here. It had hardly been a few pieces of wood before, but now it was actually beginning to resemble some sort of building. Huzzah! Then again, it /had/ been a while since Link had tread foot here, but it was still a good amount to get down for that period of time. Then again, this was the main point of Hyrule. They must have tons of people sacrificing arm and leg to get the castle rebuilt quick. And knowing how needy Zelda was, she probably already had a nice room set up for herself, bathed in triforces and pink.   
  
/Don't think like that, Link. She's the /queen/./   
  
Yes, he really had to watch his mouth. If he let something like that slip, he'd quickly become as unpopular as he was popular at this moment. Already a few kids had run up to him, tugging on his tunic and asking him to play, meanwhile shooting curious looks at poor Sheik. At least they weren't glares, like some of the older people were giving. Link winced at some of the dirty looks he saw thrown in the Sheikah's direction, and quickly declined the kid's offers, now wanting to get out of here as soon as possible.   
  
Luckily Sheik just then found a shop that would work, and so he quickly headed in that direction, wanting to get out of the crowd, all the looks that /Sheik/ was getting making /him/ uncomfortable. Because he knew it was his fault, and he knew how bad Sheik must have been feeling by now.   
  
He walked into the shop and started to look around. However, even though Sheik said it didn't really matter, he wasn't sure he would pick something that would work and would much prefer if Sheik was the one that picked it out. And so he pretended to be looking properly, picking up bits of cloth and examining it, then placing it back down, looking over at Sheik every now and then and hoping he found something soon.   
  
/I don't know if this could get any more uncomfortable.../ he thought with a sigh. And they weren't even in the castle yet. He squirmed at that discovery.   
  
--   
  
Sheik wasn't really entirely too concerned with the type of scarf they came back with, just so long as it adequately covered his face. Consequently, it didn't take him very long to find a suitable one for cheap. It looked much like his old one, white and inconspicuous and long enough to gather a little bit at the front when he tried it on. Fishing his remaining few rupees from his rupee sack, he found he had just enough for the new cowl, and paid for it.   
  
He wrapped it around his neck until it stayed up suitably after paying the vendor, wondering why the comforting feeling that usually accompanied putting it on didn't seem to come to him this time around. Well, at least he could more studiously avoid strangers' stares with this on.   
  
It still wasn't very comforting.   
  
Link was right about the fact that the situation was uncomfortable. He exhaled slowly and bit his lower lip gently as they stepped away from the vendor's stand. He glanced over at Link, wondering if the other still wanted to look for a new hat or if he'd rather wait. At this point, Sheik would have liked nothing better than to get the entire encounter over with and then get out of Hyrule Castle Town..   
  
..then again, if they were to actually unseal the Dark One, it'd probably involve him staying there until the deal was over. Unless Queen Zelda wanted to recruit other races to help in the battle that would ensue, which she probably would (though she also had good reason not to, for that matter). And even in that case, Link would be the most obvious representative.   
  
Maybe he'd asked to be assigned to go with Link. If any particular race had a problem with him, like the Gerudos, he'd remain outside as not to offend them.   
  
/Slow down. First you need to go to the palace./   
  
Right. To the palace. His gaze lifted to the under-construction building.   
  
"..did you want to look for your hat now or later?"   
  
--   
  
Link was relieved when Sheik found one that would do, and then waited outside as he paid for it, leaning against the front outside wall of the shop and glancing about the still bubbling marketplace. The kids noticed the somewhat wistful, far-off look on his face as he looked towards the sky, feeling the soft breeze -- so gentle compared to the fierce, brutal winds of the night before -- calmly stirring his hair.   
  
He started as Sheik came out, now equipped with the new cowl. It was rather similar to the one he had originally had, and Link realized that he seemed a lot more Sheik-like with it on again. He smiled ruefully at him.   
  
He shook his head at the question. "No, it's all right. I think it's better we just get to the castle now." True, no one else had seen him without the trusty green hat, but it wasn't like he had to have it. They would get used to him not having it on soon enough. Whereas if Sheik didn't have his cowl, it would have been considered /offensive/. No, his hat was no problem...   
  
He shrugged lightly and then led his way through the rest of the market place towards the castle, doing his best to lift his jarred spirits by whistling to himself as he walked. Hopefully this would be painless...   
  
--   
  
So that was that. And off to the palace they were.   
  
Sheik did feel a bit better with the cowl again comfortingly against his face. He had been without it for only two days, but he had felt like a different person without it. He knew that the scarves held more than ceremonial value in the Sheikah culture, that a younger, or less trained member was being given help in hiding their emotions. That was the idea, anyway. Those without the cowls were regarded as sophisticated enough to either feel nothing or hide their emotions just that well.   
  
And he was back at the point where he was required to wear it again. Even if he had worn it for the time he wasn't required to, it was still a humiliating experience.   
  
The fact that they had found it necessary to again require that he wear it...well, that was a little distressing. It seemed like something of a warning to him, as his err in the Temple of Time didn't /seem/ to have anything to do with emotions. They were watching him, suspecting him, waiting for him to break whatever taboo it was.   
  
If they had been watching him before....   
  
He shivered involuntarily, as the guard let them through the dilapidated castle gate. They were nearly there. Maybe he'd get off this time after all. Maybe they were just waiting for him to leave, seeing as he had an audience with the Queen. Maybe...   
  
...or not.   
  
Impa was standing directly in their path, her dark eyes focused on the approaching duo...no, focused on him. She didn't smile, but she never did, and he knew better than to look for a hint of what was to come in her face, because she had her usual unreadable mask in place.   
  
He automatically dropped to his knee, bowing his head in respect to his superior. "Lady Impa," he said softly, not looking up. "It is good to see you well."   
  
"Sheik," she said shortly. "The Order requests an audience with you." The way she said 'requests' made it perfectly clear it was no such thing.   
  
"...as I expected," he replied, willing the sudden apprehension welling up inside him to go away.   
  
"And Link," she was saying, as Sheik slowly stood, "I would love to stay and talk with you, but I must attend to the meeting with Sheik. I'm afraid it is an internal matter, and I cannot ask you to join us. Sheik? Come."   
  
He couldn't find it in him to glance back at Link as they walked away.   
  
--   
  
Link examined the castle, still hardly worthy of such a title, as they walked past the guard who permitted them in, and was so interested in that that he hardly noticed that Impa was standing there... waiting for them. And so he almost jumped when he turned his head to see her, then straightening, making himself somewhat stiff. Impa demanded that sort of respect -- she was, after all, the personal guard for the queen Zelda herself. She was close enough to royalty that Link felt rather intimidated around her. It didn't help that she was also a Sheikah, and therefore a master at keeping her face entirely blank.   
  
He peered over at Sheik as they walked towards her, noticed that he was just keeping his regular stony expression. He gave an irritated mental sigh -- he was surrounded by statues! He had a hard enough time reading emotions when they were freely visible on the countenance of those in his company -- how did they expect him to be able to infer anything when they were practically ReDead?   
  
He was surprised to see Sheik fall to one knee so quickly, and almost felt like he was required to do the same. But no -- he was a Hylian, not a Sheikah. If anything, they served him. He hated to think that way, but that was how it went. Not to mention he'd never had to bow before her any other previous times... And he was the Hero of Time. The only person he might have to bow for was the queen herself.   
  
An audience, huh? This didn't sound good. Even if her tone was rather bland, he knew that wasn't a good thing. And the hesitance in Sheik's response just further reinforced that point.   
  
He froze as she spoke his name, glancing at her almost as if he had been accused of something. He then sighed in relief and shook his head. "Oh, no. I didn't expect I'd be allowed to go along. I suppose I'll wait until the two of you are finished, then." He gave Impa a half-smile and then just waved at Sheik as the two walked off. For some reason, however, something just wasn't right about the entire situation.   
  
So what now? Maybe he should go back into town and search for that hat while he had the time to spare...   
  
--   
  
It was an hour and a half later when Sheik returned, alone, to the place where he had left Link. He wasn't surprised to see that Link was waiting for him, in a new hat, no less.. at least if he was, he certainly didn't think he could feel it anymore.   
  
There were some notable differences in his appearance as well. The stole he normally wore bearing the crying eye symbol of the Sheikah was missing, and the newly obtained scarf was loose around his neck, no longer hiding his face.   
  
He was taking an inordinately long time to get back to Link, feeling like he was being crushed under some relentless, unending burden. He was still numb from the encounter, numb from the sense of loss he could already feel tugging at the back of his mind. There were many emotions pushed back, just under the surface--guilt, pain, anger, betrayal... many other things he couldn't identify because he didn't want to think about them long enough to identify them.   
  
As a result, he simply felt tired. Tired because he knew he was going to have to deal with all of this later, and it didn't bode well. Tired because Link would want to know what had happened, why he no longer bore the traditional Sheikah crest. Tired because he still had to present Din's demands to the queen. Tired because he seemed to have lost all sense of direction.   
  
And so he trudged back on the path towards the castle, towards where Link was waiting for them, wishing he could just escape this damned place and be alone for a while. That's what he needed, some alone time. Not that he'd /get/ any in the near future...   
  
This was just getting worse by the moment.   
  
A sharp, but lone pang through his chest reminded him not to blame Din because it was the fault of the Hylians anyway... it was shaping up to be a long day, and it was barely noon.   
  
--   
  
Link was daydreaming. He had found his hat after quite a bit of searching around the town, an almost exact replica of his original, and was rather happy with it, the green article of clothing resting cheerfully on his head. He had then returned to where Impa had taken Sheik, and had been forced to wait. And wait. He had started pacing and just thinking about things, nothing very important, really... just whatever came to his mind.   
  
But no matter how hard he tried to steer away from thoughts of Sheik, he always went back to that. Because he was worried about what was going to happen. It had been a /long/ time now. He had even had time to play with the kids (they'd bothered him to death about it, so he had just given in) AND to play some bombchu bowling. It was ridiculous.   
  
And so his head was in the clouds as he walked back and forth, back and forth, arms folded over his chest and a contemplative look on his face. Eventually he noticed that there was another pair of footsteps besides his own, and stopped short, looking up to see that Sheik was back.   
  
That was odd -- usually he couldn't hear Sheik's footsteps until he was right next to him. He was always so quiet with every action, unlike Link, who just about stumbled over his feet whenever he tried to go somewhere. It was as if Sheik had just stopped trying, didn't care anymore.   
  
Then he noticed that his just newly acquired scarf was pulled down, and his outfit was missing a rather important mark -- the mark of the Sheikah. A hundred new questions bubbled in his head at this picture, but Sheik looked so exhausted that he couldn't bring himself to ask, and for once, Link extinguished his curiosity. "Hey," he said rather tonelessly, not trying to seem too happy.   
  
From what he had gathered, when people were in bad moods, they didn't like it when the people around them were happy. It made them feel as if they were shoving their depression in their face, and so Link made a sincere effort not to be his usual self.   
  
"I suppose we should be getting to the queen now..." he mused, looking forward towards the doors that stood before them, the ones that would lead into the queen's chambers. A shiver made its way up his back -- God, he didn't want to do this. Especially when he was so worried about his friend, but he didn't have the heart to ask what had happened. All he knew was that it couldn't be good.   
  
--   
  
It seemed that Link had indeed sensed his mood (though he found it in him to make no attempt to seem otherwise) and had chosen not to question it. That in itself was a load off of his shoulders. He was far from feeling better, but that this point... well, it wasn't as though he could really afford to be any worse.   
  
No. He'd get past this part of it, and then....well, he didn't know what was going to happen come nightfall. He didn't care to think about it. He didn't want to think of the future at all. Because.. well, whatever he may have had before, that was all gone now.   
  
But that would be contemplated at a later time. Right now, the task at hand was to inform the queen of the threat bearing down on Hyrule, like any good citizen would. ( /Not a bodyguard or protector.../ ) At Link's comment, his eyes turned to the framework of the castle, taking in the structure and the men gathered there working on it.   
  
"Yes," he said quietly, almost surprised that he still had a voice.   
  
/...not that it matters./ He had had no voice to defend himself in front of the Order. His words were nothing to them, and it didn't matter anyway because they had all been /right/. It had been his own fault.   
  
...so focusing on the job at hand wasn't working. At least the feelings were still carefully tucked away under the intricately built Sheikah barrier he'd worked so many years to make. He still was largely numbed to the encounter, which was all the better to him, even if he knew that pushing aside this much emotion would inevitably grab his attention back later. But he'd deal with that hurdle when he came to it, and he'd just as soon get the encounter with the queen over anyway.   
  
Out of habit and maybe a trace of shame toward the Sheikahs he knew would be in the throne room (maybe out of sight, but there, nonetheless), he found himself readjusting the now unnecessary cowl up over his nose and mouth as they walked toward the castle. Whatever slight reassurance it might have once given him was gone now, but that came as no real surprise.   
  
--   
  
It was a nice room they had given them. Then again, what else would they get? Link was the Hero of Time, and Sheik...   
  
Link dared to glance over at the other blonde for a moment, but quickly turned away, as if doing so was a crime. It was obvious that he didn't want to be bothered, even spoken to. The audience hadn't been /that/ bad... Link had mainly stayed silent while Sheik explained the situation, and Zelda had just decided that she needed to sleep on the matters they had presented to her. So they were given a room for the night. One they had to share.   
  
Usually this would have been quite the treat for Link, because any moment spent with Sheik was considered precious, but... at this point, he just felt uncomfortable. He didn't even feel good saying a few words to him, would cut himself off before he could say too much. He wanted to know, so /badly/, what had happened, what was wrong, but he couldn't ask. He just couldn't.   
  
And so they were drowned in silence. Everlasting silence. With a mental sigh, he sat down at the edge of his bed and looked at the floor. It was still earlier in the day, dusk just now nearing, and there was no way he could get to sleep yet. So what would he do now? What could he busy himself with? He was tempted to look over at his comrade again, but stopped himself.   
  
He was being ridiculous. Sheik wasn't the only form of entertainment he had. He could go and walk around town or-- but he didn't /want/ to do that.   
  
/I want to talk to you, but I don't know what to say... how to start... no matter what, all I do will probably just hurt you more./ He bowed his head towards his chest further, and tried to sift through his questioning thoughts, though with hardly any luck.   
  
--   
  
They were sharing a room. Perfect.   
  
Sheik was feeling particularly venomous as he stretched out on one of the beds and stared up at the ceiling. Venomous towards just about everything...everything except for Link. It wasn't /his/ fault he got mixed up in this stupid situation. Sheik couldn't have blamed him for it, no matter if it was his hair or his eyes or his personality or whatever the hell it was that Sheik couldn't get out of his head. Sheik /couldn't/ blame him even if he'd wanted to because it just wouldn't work that way in his mind.   
  
It was rather pissing him off that Link refused to ask about it, though. He knew his actions made it completely obvious to the both of them that there was /something/ wrong. Hell, Zelda probably had figured out there was something amiss. Link probably figured it'd aggravate him further to ask, and he was probably right. But Sheik was feeling just a little bit lonely, and a voice of concern would have been nice regardless of whether or not it ended up pissing him off more.   
  
A sigh escaped his lips and the anger he'd felt directed at Link faded as he did so. Link was doing exactly what Sheik would have normally wanted him to: ignoring him when he had something on his mind. He was never that good at talking, and had never really ever talked about something on his mind, so he'd always preferred to keep things to himself. He supposed though that Link would have to find out sometime, especially if they were to face this upcoming threat together.   
  
But it didn't /matter/ anymore. None of it mattered. Nothing seemed to matter. This whole thing was stupid, just him being silly and whimsical. He was getting what he deserved. He'd disgraced the Sheikahs, so they'd disgraced him. He probably disgraced Link too. Heaven knew the Hero of Time deserved everything that /could/ be offered.   
  
/He'd probably be better off without me along for this anyway,/ he thought threateningly at the ceiling. /He'd be better off if I just slipped out of his life as quickly as I slipped in./   
  
And for a moment, there was nothing he wanted more than to just...get away. Forever. He had his knives with him, he could--   
  
For a long moment, he stared up at the ceiling, his mind reeling at the magnitude of what he'd just thought. And then, he remembered....   
  
...that nothing mattered anyway.   
  
--   
  
No. Link couldn't deal with this anymore. This awkward silence, just staring at the ground, wondering what was wrong but knowing he couldn't ask... he could never ask because he knew that would just make it worse, and that was the last thing he wanted happening.   
  
He needed to get out of there.   
  
He stood up shakily, feeling his head spin from getting up too fast. He placed his hand against the bed as he steadied himself, and then, with a deep breath, turned to where Sheik was laying. "I'm gonna go walk around..." he told him, not really sure what he'd end up doing yet, and decided that that was a vague enough statement to do.   
  
He just wished he could help him somehow... but how could he? He didn't even know what was wrong, and... well, he was the last person that knew a thing about emotions... How would he know what was the right thing to say, to do? It was simple -- he didn't.   
  
/And so you're just running away from it?/   
  
/Shut up./   
  
He raised a hand to wave goodbye and then left the room. Little did he know that that goodbye might be a bit more meaningful than it should have been. It might be the last time he spoke a word to the Sheikah... or ex-Sheikah, if you will.   
  
Where would he go now? Maybe he'd find Impa, talk to her about it... she said she had wanted to speak to him earlier. She might be able to clue him in... Zelda was a no-no... the town might be the best place for him to get his mind off of things, even if he didn't want to admit it...   
  
--   
  
It took Sheik a long time to move once the door made that clicking sound signifying that it was shut, and that he was alone. Maybe it was ten minutes. Maybe it was an hour. He didn't know. It didn't matter.   
  
He might have felt bad that he hadn't even acknowledged Link's departure if he still felt that he was capable of feeling anything but bitter anger. Or rather, acknowledging anything aside from that anger. It was there, after all, but only the anger seemed to be getting through.   
  
He was shaking slightly when he finally sat up, retrieving one of his carefully concealed knives, always kept at full sharpness. The Order had somehow trusted him far enough not to disarm him when he'd appeared before them. Then, in a room full of Sheikahs, he'd be dead before he finished reaching for his knife, so perhaps it wasn't so much trust as it was hoping he /would/ be so foolish.   
  
He kind of wished he had been. Slitting one's own wrists was supposed to be a painful process. But.. that didn't really matter either.   
  
Unwrapping the bandages from his left arm, he carefully exposed his wrist and lower arm. The idea of a note flashed through his mind, but he decided it was too presumptuous to even assume anyone cared.   
  
One slash was never enough. It didn't even hurt when he made the first cut, or the second, parallel to the first, directly underneath the first. The blood welled slowly up through the precise incisions, trickling to the side and dripping down on to the floor. He thought absently that it'd be hard to clean something like that up, but it was too late now. The next cut was vertical, making something resembling a cross. That was the one that would be lethal, lining with the veins up his arm.   
  
It should have hurt, but he didn't know if it could hurt anymore than it already did anyway.   
  
-----  
  
Author's Notes  
  
Court: As I recall, this is the beginning of when everything starts to go to hell and the angst just ESCALATES. But you should like this. Because angst means fluff means them getting together eventually. XD IT WILL HAPPEN, I PROMISE. Um. Yes. I'm sure you hate us.  
  
Rydia: Have I mentioned lately that cliffhangers are FUN? I suppose we'll get eaten if we don't update soon...  
  
Also, this is particularly for a review by "Neo", but in general too. _Deus ex Machina_ did not originate in the Matrix. Oo; It's actually a Greek phrase, translating to "God in the Machine", and originated in ancient Greece where it referred to the mechanical device that the people playing gods and goddesses would ride in to make them descend from "heaven". Because in Greek plays, a common theme is for the people on earth to screw up their lives and have a god come down at the end of the play and fix things, today a _deus ex machina_ refers to when someone calls on a deity only when their lives suck and they want god to fix it. There's a good reason this fic is called _Deus ex Machina_, but that doesn't come into play until the end.   
  
--  
  
Stay tuned for Chapter 7 : In which Link saves the day! 


End file.
